How do you know if you are buying a healthy home?
Educated home buyers ask smart questions: How
long has the home been on the market? Are the
sellers negotiable? Has the home been tested
for radon?
Become an educated home buyer and ask your
real estate agent about radon.
For helpful information, download the EPA’s
Home Buyer’s and Seller’s Guide to Radon or call
1-800-55-RADON.
What is Radon?
Radon comes from the natural
(radioactive) breakdown of uranium in soil, rock, and water. It is an
invisible gas that enters buildings from cracks in solid floors or
walls, construction joints, gaps in suspended floors and around service
pipes, cavities inside walls, and the water supply. Radon can be found
in any type of building, but homes are the most concerning, since this is
where families spend the most time.
What is the Risk?
When air containing radon gas is
breathed in, it attaches itself to the lungs, where it can begin the
process of causing lung cancer. Radon is estimated to cause about 21,000
lung cancer deaths per year, according to EPA’s 2003 Assessment of Risks
from Radon in Homes.
The only way to
know if your home has dangerous levels of radon is to test for it. Once
detected, homes with high levels of radon can be easily fixed.
How Do I Test
My Home?
If My Home
Tests Positive for Radon, How Do I Fix It? |
Radon Resources
Correct and Incorrect Installation Practices: Mitigation System Photo Gallery
A
Citizen's Guide to Radon (PDF
774 KB)
Consumer's Guide to Radon Reduction
(PDF
572 KB)
Home Buyer's & Seller's Guide
(PDF
1240 KB)
Home Buyer's & Seller's Guide
(Spanish) (PDF
621 KB)
Did you know?
When radon decays, the alpha particles released are strong
enough to pit plastic. More.
Colorado Students Invited to Enter 2009 National Radon Poster Contest
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