RADON TESTING FOR VANCOUVER WA AND PORTLAND OR — WASHINGTON & OREGON

INTERNACHI CERTIFIED

Image presents the picture of the InterNACHI, International Association Of Certified Home Inspectors, CPI certification symbol, their Certified Professional Inspector symbol to support the certification of Andrew Tewson at Slopeside Home Inspections as a certified professional inspector, whom the web page or blog post generally promotes.

Radon

Radon is an odorless, tasteless, and a potentially deadly radioactive gas that originates from the decomposition of rock and soil deep underground. Several areas in the Pacific Northwest, particularly areas in southwest Washington and northwest Oregon, have been identified as having radon levels which exceed the EPA’s safety recommendation.

The image presents a gas warning picture to support the web page discussion that Slopeside Home Inspections is certified to provide radon gas testing services as a part of its home inspection service in Washington and Oregon.

When radon escapes the surface, the gas may concentrate inside your home. Where this occurs, it is a situation that can pose a health hazard, because (at the time of this publishing) radon is a known cause of lung cancer. It is the number one cause of lung cancer in non-smokers, according to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates. Overall, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer, right behind smoking. Radon is responsible for approximately 21,000 lung cancer deaths every year. About 2,900 of these deaths occur among people who have never smoked. Fortunately, Slopeside Home Inspections has the training and the tools necessary to test for the presence of radon, so in the event radon gas is a problem with your home, you can take measures to make sure that your home becomes radon-free.

Radon Testing

Slopeside Home Inspections offers certified radon testing for the Vancouver, WA and Portland, OR areas, with testing that adheres to the Environmental Protection Agency’s guidelines for radon testing.

What to expect in a radon test and inspection from Slopeside Home Inspections:

  • Testing for radon is easy and it is inexpensive. The radon testing, itself, is regarded by some as a minimal inconvenience because the test requires a closed-home condition, meaning it requires windows and doors remain closed, except for the entry and exit;
  • A radon test is a continuous electronic monitoring of the indoor air for an EPA standard minimum of two days; and it can be up to seven days;
  • Radon testing provides you with a comprehensive radon report which includes overall radon levels and hour-by-hour readings;
  • With the radon test, the additional radon mitigation and management recommendations, which are relatively inexpensive and highly effective, can be provided when a radon test determines it is a problem with a house or a structure.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Common Questions About Radon Testing

Officially, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) claims that radon levels in homes should not exceed 4 picocuries per liter (pCi/L). So, technically, if your radon test results reveals a level of radon at or above this threshold, you should consider taking action to reduce radon exposure. However, radon protection is a personal choice. Given the carcinogenic health hazards of radon gases, you can choose to take action to reduce radon exposure at levels lower than what the EPA recommends.

The EPA recommends testing a home’s radon levels at intervals of a minimum of every two years, especially if a home is located in an area of known elevated radon gas levels or if there have been any structural changes made to a home.

If a radon inspection reveals elevated levels of radon in a home, there are proven and effective mitigations measures that can reduce the level of radon gases in a home. We can lead you to the professionals who are experts in the field of reducing or removing radon gas from homes.

Homes with ventilation systems and ventilated crawl spaces are usually low in radon gas concentrations. Continual fresh air can be introduced into homes with both forced and passive ventilation, allowing the radon to dissipate into the atmosphere.

Homes with a basement, or homes constructed with an on-grade concrete slab, are generally the highest in radon. The large footprint of concrete in these homes is in contact with soil, and the radon concentration is higher in the soil because it can become trapped beneath the concrete, preventing it from dissipating into the atmosphere. Radon gases can then seep in through concrete cracks and joints and begin to accumulate the home.

Those who live in a home with a crawl space can remove any styrofoam blocks that may have been installed in the foundation’s air vents. Homes with insulated floors and insulated water pipes usually do not require vent plugs except during short periods of extreme, low temperatures.

Homeowners can also have ventilation systems installed to reduce radon gas levels. These introduce fresh air and aid in discharging inside air which may contain radon gases. Opening windows and ventilating basements also helps to circulate the air, which can aid in radon gas removal.