One reason Houlihan Lawrence is the area market leader is that agents are continually provided new information that is important for our clients, both buyers and sellers. Meet Jim Rood, certified environmental specialist with Lighthouse Environmental Consultants. Jim was our guest speaker today at the office meeting. The topic of the day was environmental and radon.

Very little has been mentioned about the new acceptable levels that were recently announced by the World Health Organization. The previously acceptable level that required mitigation was 4.0 and the new maximum radon level is now 2.7. Based on this new threshold, millions of homes will now be required to make repairs and install systems to reduce levels of this odorless, colorless, harmful gas. There are studies that estimate and show that radon is a leading cause of death for approximately 20,000 Americans each year due to exposure to radon. That’s because when you breathe air containing radon, you can get lung cancer. In fact, the Surgeon General has warned that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States today.

Now that exposure to radon has been identified as a leading cause of lung cancer for non-smokers it is hoped that with the new lower levels of acceptable radon exposure that more homes and businesses will be tested and mitigated.

A word of warning to all homeowners, it is recommended that all homes be tested every other year and if your home was previously tested with levels above 2.7 a mitigation system should be installed. To see a great illustration of how radon enters you house click here.

For more information about this serious potential health problem and how it affects your home and the town where you live, give me a call. I can also refer you to a certified professional who can help test and, if necessary, mitigate this dangerous radon gas.

Posted By: Sonja Lovas