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34
Trentham hired someone to do the work,
and the radon level in her house was
brought down to 1.7 pCi/L.
But if the real estate agent hadn't
suggested it, she and her husband would
not have known to get the test done, she
said. In Missouri, real estate agents are not
required to recommend testing, and home
sellers do not have to disclose knowledge
of high radon levels.
And there really isn't a "typical" building
with an unsafe level of radon, said home
inspector Scott Wilson. It can happen
anywhere.
"Radon can be found in old houses and
new houses, country houses or houses in
town," Wilson said. "It doesn't really
matter with radon."
Why is radon so dangerous?
The United States Environmental
Protection Agency estimates that
longtime exposure to a 4.0 pCi/L level
of radon exposes non-smokers to the
same risk of dying from lung cancer as in a
car crash, and that's seven in 1,000. For
smokers, the risk is even greater: 62 in
1,000.
Radon is the second leading cause
of lung cancer behind cigarettes,
according to the EPA.
Trentham admits she was freaked out,
at first, by the potential danger.
"It is scary at first," Trentham said.
"It is, like, 'OK, this can kill me.'"
Radon comes from the type of soil that
houses are built on, Wilson said. But he
cautioned that someone’s neighbor having
a safe or unsafe level of radon
isn't an indicator.
"It just depends on what the house was
built on," Wilson said.
Owner of Mid-Missouri Radon Solutions
Brandon Ninichuck said radon is like
carbon monoxide in that it is colorless,
tasteless and odorless. Radon is different,
though, because it a longer-term threat
and can take 20, 30 or 40 years to show
its effects, he said.
Ninichuck said sometimes people are too
worried about the wrong things and un-
informed about what the real problems
are. He said he recently talked to a
customer who was worried because he
or she had been told by someone not to
garden because there might be radon in
the soil, which is not a concern. From a
homeowner's standpoint, radon is only
a risk in enclosed spaces.
Getting your house tested
Although a seller is not required in
Missouri to have a home tested for radon
and disclose the results to potential
buyers, real estate agent Lisa Meyer says
that it's a good idea to get a home
inspection and specify that you want
a radon test included.
"(Buyers) ask questions like, 'Should we
get a radon test?' and then we give them
things like federal government statistics
to help them make a determination,”
Meyer said.
Meyer says she's often asked about
radon. The testing process is often part of
negotiations during a home sale, she said.
Wilson, the home inspector, said the test
for radon takes about 48 hours. The test
is installed in a lower living space of the
house on a wall that is not close to a
window. It usually costs $125 to $150.