Radon Map

Who knew your house could hurt your lungs? Here in Idaho we live in a relatively moderate Radon level region that seems to get more intense the further north you live.

It turns out Radon is even emitted from slabs of granite along with almost all other products of the earth like concrete itself, but we must put it all into perspective.

The majority of information about Radon’s health effects come from men working underground – miners

Radon (Rn) is a gas that is emitted from the earth. It is the natural byproduct of deteriorating uranium and it gets into the air through the soil and through water.  It is easy to test for and fairly easy to deal with if found in homes to be above the 4 pCi /liter. Here are some selected excerpts from one of the EPA radon sites.

EPA estimates that about 20,000 lung cancer deaths each year in the U.S. are radon-related. Exposure to radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. Lung cancer is the only known effect on human health from exposure to radon in air. There is no evidence that children are at greater risk of lung cancer than are adults.

How it gets in

For smokers the risk of lung cancer is significant due to the synergistic effects of radon and smoking. For this population about 62 people in a 1,000 will die of lung-cancer, compared to 7.3 people in a 1,000 for never smokers. Put another way, a person who never smoked (never smoker) who is exposed to 1.3 pCi/L has a 2 in 1,000 chance of lung cancer

 in 1988 Congress added Title III on Indoor Radon Abatement to the Toxic Substances Control Act.  that year, the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General issued a warning about radon urging Americans to test their homes and to reduce the radon level when necessary

Unfortunately, many Americans presume that because the action level is 4 pCi/L, a radon level of less than 4 pCi/L is “safe”. This perception is altogether too common in the residential real estate market. In managing any risk, we should be concerned with the greatest risk. For most Americans, their greatest exposure to radon is in their homes; especially in rooms that are below grade (e.g., basements), rooms that are in contact with the ground and those rooms immediately above them. 

Simple test kit

Testing is easily accomplished and test kits are available at hardware stores and big box stores like Home Depot and Lowe’s. They are usually the quick tests and will give you a screening of what you are dealing with. Radon is emitted at in an uneven pattern so what you are looking for is your average exposure through the year. This means taking several tests or doing a long term testing kit that takes 90 days.

There is a common misconception that Radon levels are similar in geographic areas. Just because a level may be low in your neighbors house does not mean that it is low in yours.

Radon Exhaust Fan

At Levco we enjoy knowing that we have not set anyone up for additional health risks by remodeling. We make sure that when we do remodel here in Boise Idaho that the soil beneath our projects are left sealed properly and cracks in slab floors and foundations are sealed as well. Here is the further information about Radon in ADA County.

Fixing any home involves sealing cracks in foundations, covering bare soil and if necessary providing forced ventilation to areas where it is hiding. This may mean under foundations. In all of my home inspections I have only seen one Radon elimination fan system. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be looking more seriously at the potentially nasty little problem.

Home Sweet Home

OK you have been in the home for 10 years and you are looking for something to do that will improve your home. You are wondering what would be a good bang for the buck. Or say you have unexplained health issues and you just can’t put a finger on it but you think your home may be the culprit. It is worth thinking about having your duct work checked. Although the EPA thinks it may be an over rated service, there are several instances even they recommend the process be done by a qualified vendor.

Duct cleaning is probably not the first thing that comes to mind in relation to maintaining your home. It seems like every decade or so there is some new newfangled energy saving thing, a better window design or better furnace that will make life better. Besides keeping paint on the place and staying ahead of the stuff that breaks, a good old fashion duct cleaning might be the ticket.

In the old days there was no need for ducts because heat rose through the floor registers and the furnace was a fireplace. Then coal furnaces did a similar thing and the heat rose naturally. Many homes went to radiant heat with boilers, still no need for duct work . Then in the late 19th century oil furnaces were the rage and forced air became the thing and duct work was installed. Later oil furnaces were replaced by natural gas but the forced air systems remained. This made a place for dust to hide along with all sorts of dust mites, mold spores, rodents and lord knows what else. The bad news is that it was out of sight and out of mind. Now we realize that we are building tighter houses and what gets inside stays inside. Indoor air quality as one of the five points of Green Remodeling and the duct cleaning industry was born.

A Duct Cleaning Truck

Provided that you have duct work that routes heating and cooling throughout your structure and it has been there for 10years or more the industry recommends a cleaning. The EPA. On the other hand, who is responsible for Environmental Protection has published a great guide to Duct cleaning. They are pretty skeptical about the industry but like everything, there are those that are unscrupulous that boast of unrealistic health benefits from the process. I believe that if your expectations are realistic then you will be pleasantly surprised. Levco provides the service after a whole house remodeling. The odds are that we have introduced particles into the system no matter how hard we try not to. Take a look yourself through a supply register to see what is there, stick a vacuum down the hole and gather up what you can for starters. This will at least establish whether you need to worry about your ducts in the first place.

Before & After

They come in with a vacuum truck and by drilling a few holes in your duct work and following a strict routine of covering and uncovering registers they manage to suck a ton of debris from your ducts.

Don’t expect the furnace to work much better unless they find a clogged cooling coil, like was the case in my home. They could find a detached duct which does happen. This may have a positive effect upon allergies. It may improve your air circulation, and it will remove all of that pet dander and accumulated dust that no matter how well you clean you just can’t get to. Just the knowledge that your ducts are clean gives you a reassurance that you are living in a cleaner indoor environment. When I need them, System Kleen is the company I use in Boise Idaho.