Radon Testing
With radon gas estimated to be at unsafe levels in over 60% of Mankato area homes and high in 1 out of every 3 Minnesota homes, one thing is for sure, radon is a widespread problem. While the risk of radon exposure is high, protecting yourself and your family is easy. Simple testing which can be performed in the short term for real estate transactions or long term for more precise results are available and inexpensive.
Radon Testing Services
Short Term [Expand]
The quickest way to test, short term tests remain in the home from 2 to 90 days and can be used to effectively “screen” the home for radon levels. The method used for most real estate transactions.
Long Term [Expand]
Long term tests remain in the home for more than 90 days. “Alpha track” and “electret” detectors are commonly used for this type of testing. A long term test will give you a reading that is more likely to provide you your home’s year-round average radon concentration.
If you are interested in radon testing for your home please give us a call today!
Get The Facts. Radon Q&A
What is radon gas? Radon is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, naturally occurring radioactive gas that is formed from the breakdown of the minerals uranium and radium.
Why is it important? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that each year 21,000 people die of lung cancer as a result of being exposed to elevated levels of radon. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer for smokers and the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. Although radon is present throughout the environment, radon levels indoors are generally higher which increase the risk of cancer.
Why Is Radon A Common Problem In Minnesota Homes? Much of the soil in the upper midwest contains widespread uranium and radium. These minerals continuously break down to release radon gas. Therefore, Minnesota’s geology provides an ongoing supply of radon.
In addition, a large percentage of Minnesota homes have elevated levels of radon in the indoor air because of how they are built and how they operate in our climate. Also,one other important factor is that many Minnesota homes have basements that are used as living spaces. The Minnesota Department of Health estimates that about one in three (1/3) Minnesota homes have enough radon to pose a significant risk to the occupants’ health over many years of exposure.
How Does Radon Gas Enter My Home? Because radon is a gas, it is able to move through the soil or fill material around a home’s foundation. Minnesota homes tend to operate under a negative pressure – this is especially true in the lowest portions of the home and during the heating season. This negative pressure acts as a vacuum (suction) that pulls soil gases, including radon, into the lower level of the structure. Some causes of home vacuum are:
- Heated air rising inside the home (stack effect).
- Wind blowing past a home (downwind draft effect).
- Air used by fireplaces, wood stoves, and furnaces (vacuum effect).
- Air vented to the outside by clothes dryers and exhaust fans in bathrooms, kitchens, or attics (vacuum effect).
Radon can enter a home through the floor and walls — anywhere there is an opening between the home and the soil. Examples of such openings include dirt floor crawl spaces, unsealed sumps pits, cracks in slab-on-grade floors, utility penetrations, and the tiny pore spaces in concrete block walls. A basement, of course, provides a large surface area that contacts soil material.
Major Radon Entry Points
- Cracks in concrete slabs.
- Spaces behind brick veneer walls that rest on uncapped hollow-block foundations.
- Pores and cracks in concrete blocks.
- Floor-wall joints.
- Exposed soil, as in a sump or crawl space.
- Weeping (drain) tile, if drained to an open sump.
- Mortar joints.
- Loose fitting pipe penetrations.
- Open tops of block walls.
- Building materials, such as brick, concrete, rock.
- Well water (not commonly a major source in Minnesota homes). (Information prov. by Minnesota Dept. of Health)
What Happens After Radon Gets Into My Home? Once radon enters a home it moves freely throughout the indoor air and people can breath it into their lungs where it can cause cell damage that can lead to lung and other cancers. Understanding how it distributes through the home environment can help explain why timing and location are important factors to consider when conducting a radon test.
The level of radon is often highest in the lower part of the building. Radon moves through a house by diffusion and natural air movements and it can be distributed by mechanical equipment such as a forced-air ventilation system. As radon moves away from the home’s foundation or other entry points, it mixes (and is diluted) into a greater volume of air. In addition, more dilution often occurs in the upper levels of the home because there is more fresh air ventilation there. Greater dilution and less house vacuum may also occur when the house is more open to the outdoors during the non-heating season. This generally results in lower indoor radon levels in the summer compared to the winter.
