Radon Test Results

When I first began looking at homes in the Westchester area, the inspector we retained asked if we wanted to perform a radon test for the home in which we were interested in possibly making an offer.

“What the heck is radon?” I asked.

Here’s what the EPA says about radon:

Radon is a naturally-occurring radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer. Radon gas is inert, colorless and odorless. Radon is naturally in the atmosphere in trace amounts. Outdoors, radon disperses rapidly and, generally, is not a health issue. Most radon exposure occurs inside homes, schools and workplaces. Radon gas becomes trapped indoors after it enters buildings through cracks and other holes in the foundation. Indoor radon can be controlled and managed with proven, cost-effective techniques.

Apparently, there’s a lot of radon in the Westchester area and, as a result, it’s regularly tested for during the home inspection process.

On average, results that are higher than 4.0 pCi/L (picoCuries of radon per liter of air) are considered unsafe.

Despite the EPA’s definition of radon as a “radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer,” test results that identify radon levels in excess of that 4.0 pCi/L threshold should not cause a buyer to walk away from the deal.

Why? Because radon mitigation systems are simple, effective solutions that quickly lower radon levels.

As a practical matter, a seller will often offer a buyer a credit to be applied at closing that covers the cost of installing a radon mitigation system. Otherwise, a seller will have a mitigation system installed and then provide a second radon test prior to closing to show that the radon results are below the 4.0 pCi/L threshold before closing occurs.

Either way, the results of a radon test should not cause a buyer to walk away from a piece of property that a buyer loves in every other aspect. Rather, a mitigation system is pretty much a basic exhaust system that usually sits in the corner of a basement and requires little maintenance but ensures the quality of the air in the home does not reach unsafe levels.