topic Re: In A Word.... in Community Chat

In A Word....

PINKdogWOOD — Sun, 02 Nov 2025 20:57:32 GMT

RADON

A deadly cancer-causing carcinogenic

Have you ever had your house checked for radon levels? If not you certainly need to.

I live in a house a little over a century old. A friend of mine who spends time here helping me out since my husband died this April 29, bought a radon detector and put it in the basement. He knows this house as well as I do. He FREAKED when he saw the reading.

He no longer will allow me to go down there but 'every 10 days or so' he told me. Susan, you do not need to be down there anymore. He's very afraid for me and my health, his too really as he's spent a lot of time down there too.

Cancer-causing - here's also what else he said to me - I almost cannot even write this...He said there have been three most lovable pets and my dear husband who all died of cancers. Was it because of astronomical radon levels? I do not know but signs are pointing to a huge maybe. Will I be next? Don't know that either - yet. Will my PCP now recommend a cancer check for me? I'll be asking him this when I see him on Tuesday.

We moved into this house in 1985, my husband's Grandparents' home which makes 25 years this year in this house.

I'll be making an appointment with a Radon Mitigation group this week to get someone in here to talk about this problem and get it taken care of.

So I'm just saying a word to the wise folks, take care of yourselves. Treat yourself to a Radon Detector and help yourselves out.

Re: In A Word....

kaydee50 — Sun, 02 Nov 2025 21:14:41 GMT

Radon was a hot topic when we had our house in northern NJ 30+ years ago. Haven't heard much about it recently--too many other disasters happening???

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Still Raining — Sun, 02 Nov 2025 21:16:49 GMT

Worrisome indeed. First get a professional evaluation to understand more about your site.

A friend had this and the solution is basically an exhaust fan and a pipe higher than your roof. As I recall it was not that expensive.

Good luck.

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PA Mom-mom — Sun, 02 Nov 2025 21:19:10 GMT

@PINKdogWOOD Yes. Here in PA we are quite familiar with radon. Radon detection and mitigation is usually a prerequisite to selling a house. Everyone I know has had it done.

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on the bay — Sun, 02 Nov 2025 21:28:33 GMT

@PINKdogWOOD,

That's good advice.

Sometimes people don't think or know about it.

We had radon tested on inspection before we bought our just 17 year old townhouse which had a basement. I'm glad we did because it had unnaceptable levels.

So we had a company that deals with radon put something in the basement to divert or get rid of it? Anyway to make it safe to live in.

I think the sellers had to pay for it.

Re: In A Word....

KittySoftPaws — Sun, 02 Nov 2025 22:10:55 GMT

Yes I have heard of this as I have a friend who owns a home inspection business in Delaware. It's something they sometimes check for. Not sure if it's routinley checked or must be requested. You can also check State by State, as some states have very little and others a lot. Here in Florida it is not all that common for whatever reason, and luckily we are in a second floor Condo. But I remember when my friend mentioned it and I asked what it was, and I was pretty surprised and shocked, I had never heard about it before. I have no idea how they fix it. Keep us posted and hoping this gets resolved for you.

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on the bay — Sun, 02 Nov 2025 21:59:09 GMT

We did have to request that radon testing be included in the inspection.

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SilleeMee — Sun, 02 Nov 2025 22:03:42 GMT

My State Dept of Public Health gives our residents a radon test kit for free. My house tested negative the last time I checked. Every 2 to 5 years is what the EPA recommends to test for radon. Depends on your situation for how often to test.

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KittySoftPaws — Sun, 02 Nov 2025 22:09:15 GMT

@PINKdogWOOD

Was reading up on this, more importantly:

Hiring a Radon Mitigation Contractor

If you need to reduce radon levels within your home, find an experienced contractor with proper qualifications. As Bill Wehrum, an administrator at the EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation, states, “Iincrease the level of radon or compromise the air quality in your house.”f you don’t do it right, you might actually

When selecting a radon mitigation contractor:

Check their experience and track record
Find a contractor who received their certification from a recognized radon certification program
Make sure they’re licensed and insured
Look for membership in professional organization
Common Sources of Radon in Homes
Radon typically enters homes through:
- Cavities inside walls
- Cracks in solid floors and walls
- Construction joints
- Gaps around service pipes
- Gaps in suspended floors
- The water supply

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on the bay — Sun, 02 Nov 2025 22:15:17 GMT

This is all such good information.

I didn't realize that it should be tested every 2 years even when you have had radon mitigation installed!

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SilleeMee — Sun, 02 Nov 2025 22:40:59 GMT

Where I live over 50% of the houses here test positive for radon.

The Map of Radon Zones shows where high radon levels are found throughout the United States, but it should not be used to determine if individual homes need to be tested. No matter where you live, test your home for radon — it’s easy and inexpensive. Fix your home if your radon level is 4 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) or higher (Zone 1). Consider fixing if your level is between 2 and 4 pCi/L (Zone 2). Source: EPA.gov.

Re: In A Word....

on the bay — Sun, 02 Nov 2025 23:43:33 GMT

You know, I'm remembering that after having the radon "fixed" they also put in a kind of meter to let us know if the radon ever became above acceptable and safe levels.

So I don't know if you would need an inspection every 3 years with that? Unless they checked the actual fix and device every so often to make sure it was accurate.

At any rate, it definitely needs a certified, licensed, insured radon specialist.

Re: In A Word....

skatting44 — Sun, 02 Nov 2025 23:47:35 GMT

@PINKdogWOOD

In my area it's been known to be prominent for those with basements. Do you have any windows or is it a walk out basement ? Having some ventilation such as windows or a walk out basement helps .

Re: In A Word....

Icegoddess — Sun, 02 Nov 2025 23:50:07 GMT

I think it is mostly tied to lung cancer.

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Venezia — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 00:10:43 GMT

@PINKdogWOOD - Radon testing is supposed to be done in the lowest living area. I presume you don't live in the basement or spend a large proportion of your time there?

Don't let your friend (well-meaning, I'm sure) freak you out over this until you have a proper test done.

Get the test done and go from there. And please don't start imagining that your beloved pets and husband died because of something preventable. You can't ever know that. Many things cause cancer.

Try to stay calm and take affirmative action moving forward.

Re: In A Word....

shoekitty — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 00:27:34 GMT

@SilleeMee is that map current!? I probably am not reading it well. I Was wondering, as current ratings and maps (2025) place Alaska as worse in nation, and on map it isn't. Also, as an aside Could it be older homes, or the rock that homes are built on that cause more radon. Look s like it's higher back east, Midwest.
Here are lowest states in order

hawaii (0)

louisiana

mississippi

florida

arizona

texas

California

georgia

deleware

soCarolina (2.4)

Re: In A Word....

Skyegirl21 — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 00:22:42 GMT

Yup, I know radon in my area, rocky area in CT.
If you have sold or bought a house in the last 20ish yrs, or lately, in some areas of the country, you would know about it-

Radon is a gas produced by rock, so essentially it's in basements, and it's not healthy becaue its associated with radioactivity.

When you sell or buy a house these days in areas where it's produced, and there are basements, they test for it and require you to install ventilation for it, and maybe drinking water purification systems too-

Re: In A Word....

SilleeMee — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 00:28:14 GMT

@shoekitty

The EPA radon map changes constantly. New data comes in as testing is done and also as new building practices evolve. As stated below that map, it's better to just test for radon and not rely on that map. The map is simply a visual to show just how prevalent radon is across the nation.

Re: In A Word....

shoesnbags — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 00:36:48 GMT

We have no radon and no basements either around here. It's a good thing, since we have enough to worry about with hurricanes. My son and DIL have a house in southern Michigan with a finished basement and they have mentioned doing radon testing and remediation.

Re: In A Word....

Desertdi — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 03:19:44 GMT

And, JUST THINK -- I grew up worrying about "THE BOMB"...

topic Re: In A Word.... in Community Chat

In A Word....

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Hiring a Radon Mitigation Contractor

Common Sources of Radon in Homes

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