The Facts About Radon

What is Radon Gas?

Radon is a cancer-causing radioactive gas. You can’t smell it, see it, or taste it. But it may be a problem in your home. When you breathe air containing radon gas, you increase your chance of lung cancer. In fact, the Surgeon General has warned that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States today. If you smoke and your home has high radon levels, your risk of lung cancer is especially high.

EPA Recommends:

• If you are planning on buying a home or selling your home, have it tested for radon.
• Fix the home if the radon level is 4 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) or higher.
• For new homes, ask if radon resistant construction features have been used.

How Can You Get Reliable Radon Test Results?

Your best way to obtain reliable results for radon testing is to hire a New York State Department of Health certified radon tester. HomePro Inspection uses state of the art electronic test equipment by Femto-Tech, Inc. and is certified by New York State Department of Health to test for radon. 

Femto-Tech has established itself as a leader in the radiation instrumentation industry by providing only the highest quality monitors.  The Femto-Tech's CRM-510, an EPA approved testing device, measures radon concentrations, air temperature, barometric pressure, and relative humidity.  All information is recorded hourly during a minimum testing period of 48-hours while the house is under closed-house conditions.

Radon Has Been Found In Homes All Over The U.S.

The EPA warns not to rely on radon test results taken in other homes in the neighborhood to estimate the radon level in your home. Homes that are next to each other can have different indoor radon levels. While radon problems may be more common in some areas in the local community or state, any home may have a problem. Testing your home is the only way to find out what the radon levels are. Look at some of the recently published New York State Department of Health radon level statistic for a few towns in the Rochester area:

                                              Location                         Average (pCi/L)            % of Homes over 4 pCi/L

                                              Brighton                                     2.2                                      16.9%

                                              Chili                                            2.4                                      13.7% 

                                              Gates                                         2.3                                      12.9%

                                              Penfield                                      3.1                                      17.5%

                                              Perinton                                     3.4                                      18.1%

                                              Pittsford                                     2.2                                      10.9%                 

                                              Mendon                                    14.2                                      39.9% 

                                              Rush                                          6.8                                       30.1%                  

                                              Wheatland                               11.3                                      49.1%                                

                   Click HERE to view a complete listing by town of Monroe and surrounding counties.

               Learn more about radon gas by viewing the video below and visiting the EPA Radon website.

Common Radon Myths and Facts

MYTH: Scientists are not sure that radon really is a problem.

FACT: Although some scientists dispute the precise number of deaths due to radon, all the major health organizations (like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Lung Association and the American Medical Association) agree with estimates that radon causes thousands of preventable lung cancer deaths every year. This is especially true among smokers, since the risk to smokers is much greater than to non-smokers.

MYTH: Radon testing is difficult, time-consuming and expensive.

FACT: Radon testing is easy and inexpensive.

MYTH: Radon testing devices are not reliable and are difficult to find.

FACT: Reliable testing devices are available from qualified radon testers and companies.

MYTH: Homes with radon problems can’t be fixed.

FACT: There are simple solutions to radon problems in homes. Hundreds of thousands of homeowners have already fixed radon problems in their homes. Radon levels can be readily lowered for $1,000 to $2,500 (with an average cost of about $1,200).

MYTH: Radon affects only certain kinds of homes.

FACT: House construction can affect radon levels. However, radon can be a problem in homes of all types: old homes, new homes, drafty homes, insulated homes, homes with basements, and homes without basements. Local geology, construction materials, and how the home was built are among the factors that can affect radon levels in homes.

MYTH: Radon is only a problem in certain parts of the country.

FACT: High radon levels have been found in every state. Radon problems do vary from area to area, but the only way to know your radon level is to test.

MYTH: A neighbor’s test result is a good indication of whether your home has a problem.

FACT: It’s not. Radon levels can vary greatly from home to home. The only way to know if your home has a radon problem is to test it.

MYTH: It’s difficult to sell homes where radon problems have been discovered.

FACT: Where radon problems have been fixed, home sales have not been blocked. The added protection is some times a good selling point.

MYTH: I’ve lived in my home for so long, it doesn’t make sense to take action now.

FACT: You will reduce your risk of lung cancer when you reduce radon levels, even if you’ve lived with a radon problem for a long time.

MYTH: Short-term tests can’t be used for making a decision about whether to fix your home.

FACT: A short-term test can be used to decide whether to fix your home. However, the closer the average level is to 4 pCi/L, the less certain you can be about whether your year-round average is above or below that level. Keep in mind that radon levels below 4 pCi/L still pose some risk. Radon levels can be reduced in most homes to 2 pCi/L or below.