CR3 News Magazine 2023 VOL 2: FEB / MAR -- BLACK & WOMEN HISTORY | Page 15

Authored by James Baldwin and Dylan Vanlandingham

11/15/2022

Is It All On the Realtors?

Here in Ohio, where we’re based, the AARST reports that 52% of tested buildings were over the action level of 4 PCi/L in the last

12 months. That’s to say perhaps half of Ohioans are effectively smoking eight cigarettes

(or more) every day!

If over half of our homes, work places, even schools are over the action level; I wonder how many of the people in those buildings even know what Radon is?

Not enough.

Based on the thousands of interactions we have at Yeti Restoration in a given year, we know that many people are unaware of Radon.

People who are unaware typically have one of three reactions:

1) What is it and how can I fix it?

2) What is it and how bad are my levels?

3) This is fake, right?

So we educate and inform.

We can use simple answers to help speed the understanding:

1)Radon is an odorless gas that comes up through cracks in the ground inside and outside. But when it comes up inside a building, it gets stuck.

2)The only way to know what your levels are is by testing; DIY or professional. And that will tell us what to do next.

3)Sadly not. Radon gas was responsible for over 2,000 lung cancer cases in Ohio alone over the last 12 months!

We’ve found that real estate professionals are perhaps best positioned to share the facts with a vital base of people - those buying homes, and already looking for risks like mold, water damage, and Radon. Even those realtors who don’t fully understand it can influence a vital decision for testing in every home they list or sell. Perhaps, if we can’t educate every homeowner, we can start by serving our realtors. These key influencers can help shift the conversation one buyer or seller at a time; because when people know the risk, they make better decisions.

This January, for Radon Awareness month, I challenged everyone to foster an educational approach to real estate influencers, and help them serve their customers better - it’s not a home if it’s not healthy. And every realtor understands that.

Together, we can make Ohio, Kentucky, and the world more aware of Radon risks.

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