... continued from page 48 [By Insoo Park]
For consumers, this means that without an accurate and reliable long-term test, hazardous levels of radon gas — which is naturally colorless and odorless — can easily build up within their homes without their knowledge. Furthermore, because of the consistent inaccuracies regarding the sensitivity and other specifications of most short-term radon gas test kits, there has not been a safe alternative to test for heightened levels of the naturally occurring carcinogenic gas in a more condensed time frame.
When consumers decide whether or not to test for radon, commonly overlooked factors include a home’s age, design, and size. Because radon is a naturally occurring carcinogenic gas without color or odor, it can easily rise to levels hazardous to human health in homes with basements, a larger footprint, and in newer homes with tighter more energy-efficient building envelopes and fewer means of ventilation.
As a result of these issues, consumers (particularly those in newer, tighter building envelope homes) should look into more recent detection systems that provide them with continuous electronic monitoring of radon levels, such as those available from Ecosense or AirThings. The former has produced a product offering consumers 30 CPH/pCi/L sensitivity — some 15 times higher than the industry standard required for continuous radon monitors — and comes combined with smartphone app capabilities, Wi-Fi communications, and embedded links to further helpful interpretive resources.
With this higher sensitivity, the Ecosense offerings are able to match the accuracy of research-grade instrumentation and provide users with updated radon level information in as little as 10 minutes, followed by a rolling hourly average every 10 minutes thereafter. This data rate also ensures accuracy through changing conditions, uniquely enabling the consumer to track the impact of simple mitigation steps such as increasing ventilation or opening windows. If radon levels consistently measure near or over EPA action levels, the user can be confident it is time to bring in a radon gas professional.
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