From: jac@ds8.scri.fsu.edu (Jim Carr)
Newsgroups: sci.physics
Subject: Re: Concern over radon levels?
Date: 30 Aug 92 03:48:00 GMT
Reply-To: jac@ds8.scri.fsu.edu (Jim Carr)
Organization: SCRI, Florida State University

In article <geavdWa00WBNQ4_29l@andrew.cmu.edu> jw54+@andrew.cmu.edu (Jonathan Wickert) writes:
>
>I'm in the process of buying a house in southwestern Pennsylvania.  As
>part of the home inspection, I had a radon test done by one of these
>companies that does radon testing for a living.  It involved placing two
>canisters in the basement, and one in the living room.  The canisters
>are removed after 3 days of exposure, and then sent to a central state
>licensed lab.
>
>The test revealed levels of 4.2, 5.5, and 7.6 picocuries/liter in the
>areas tested.  According to guidelines established by the EPA and the
>Center for Disease Control, a continuous exposure of 4 pCi/l is used as
>a guideline to indicate when some corrective action should be taken.
>
>My questions are
>
>1.  Are these levels sufficently high to be of concern?

Concern, yes.  The 4 pCi/l level is set to correspond roughly to the 
maximum allowed dose for a person who is not a "radiation worker".  A 
"radiation worker" is allowed about 5 times this level of exposure. 
The assumption is that you spend all your time in this environment, 
so you can adjust your concern based on the length of your exposure. 
I would be more concerned if the the 7.6 were in your bedroom, since 
you spend 1/3 of your day there. 

You should most definitely *not* buy this house if you smoke.  The 
combination of smoking and radon has a multiplier effect that can 
increase your chance of cancer by huge factors, about 20 I think. 
This multiplier effect biased many of the radon concerns since 
the miners whose health problems set the standard were often heavy 
smokers.  You might also look into how the house is heated at 
present (all-electric makes for a sealed house) and what simple 
remediation might do for you. 

If these measurements were made while the house was ventilated, 
say with windows open in the summer, then you should expect 
higher levels in the winter.  

You might also be concerned with whether you might have trouble, or 
have to go to some expense, when you try to sell this house in the 
future.  This is an area of increasing regulation.  Consult local 
officials (not the real estate broker, who works for the *seller* 
and has **NO** fiduciary responsibility to give you sound advice) 
or approach a broker as if you wished to sell such a house and see 
what they say....

>2.  How common is it to have such radon levels in this geographical area?

The northeast, mountain areas, and parts of Florida where phosphate is 
mined are well known problem spots.  Your testing company can, and should, 
give you a better idea about local conditions.  Radon levels depend on 
the geology and can vary a great deal over relatively small areas. 

They also depend on the construction of the house, and what floor you are 
on.  Levels fall to zip a few floors up in a building, for example, and 
are generally highest in basements. 

--
J. A. Carr                                    |  "The New Frontier of which I  
jac@gw.scri.fsu.edu                           |  speak is not a set of promises
Florida State University  B-186               |  -- it is a set of challenges."
Supercomputer Computations Research Institute |   John F. Kennedy (15 July 60)
Newsgroups: sci.physics