Do you know what the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States is? If you said radon, you're right! If you're not sure what radon is, let alone what you can do about it, keep reading! Also, scroll to the bottom for a video overview.
According to EPA's radon webpage, radon is a cancer-causing gas that you can’t see or smell and that enters homes from the soil through the foundation. It’s common across the US, including in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia, and it’s the second leading cause of lung cancer (after smoking). The good news is that it’s easy to test to determine if you need to take action, and radon mitigation systems can typically be installed at a reasonable cost to address high radon levels.
The radon level in your home can vary over the years and can also fluctuate seasonally, with the highest levels typically found in the winter months. I found this to be true in our home, having tested several times and found varying levels. EPA advises mitigation for test results above 4 pCi/L and recommends you consider mitigation if your results are between 2.0 and 4.0 pCi/L. Our results were in that 2.0 to 4.0 pCi/L range. We use our basement quite a bit so we decided a mitigation system is a good idea. It cost us about $2,000, including labor and materials.
This video shares some background on radon, how to test, and what our radon mitigation system looks like. I hope it's helpful. Feel free to reach out if you'd like more detail. Also, below are links to government websites where you can order a free or discounted test kit.
