Myths about Radon during a Real Estate Transaction
"The radon test during the home inspection came back at 4.0 pCi/L, right on the border, so my clients are safe.”
(Close is only for horseshoes and hand grenades)
The EPA has determined that long term exposure to elevated levels of radon is a potential cause of lung cancer. 4.0pCi/L is their designated action level. They considered 2.0pCi/L, but knew by law, they could only regulate the level that could practically be reached in the majority of all homes. That number is 4.0pCi/L.
That does not mean that 3.9 pCi/L is safe! In fact, no amount of radioactivity is without risk. Therefore, the goal, with respect to elevated radon levels, is to lower radon levels inside the building, as close to the levels outside as possible. The majority of mitigation systems reduce the radon level to 2.0 pCi/L or below.
"The radon test 5 years ago on the same house came back low, so there’s no need for additional testing”
In a real estate transaction, time is a luxury. To close your deal quickly, the EPA set the testing standard for a 48 hour test to give you a concrete indication of the radon levels in the home prior to purchase. Radon fluctuates from day to night, hour to hour, season to season and it is not a static number. That’s why one test could come under the action level, but the next test could come back higher. Just a note: If the results come back 8pCi/L or higher, even averaging out two tests, will probably still produce a request for mitigation.
"My sellers are having a test performed in their house, and the testing company said closed house conditions, but I’m sure it’s O.K. to open the upstairs windows since the test is in the basement”
No, the short answer is the EPA protocols require closed house conditions!
The complete answer is we must test the house with "closed house conditions” So make it easier on us… inform your sellers, prior to us setting the test, this prevents any conflict or even more important, invalidation of the test, resulting in having to re-test, more costs incurred, or even delayed closings. But back to the windows being closed; your house is acting like a giant chimney, with warm air rising and escaping out the top, drawing replacement air in the lower level(s). Thus, if you open upstairs windows, you are adding to the "stack effect”, probably causing the radon levels in the basement to increase.