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U.S. Surgeon General Health Advisory "Indoor radon gas is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the United States and breathing it over prolonged periods can present a significant health risk to families all over the country. It's important to know that this threat is completely preventable. Radon can be detected with a simple test and fixed through well-established venting techniques." January 2005 "Radon gas comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in the
soil, rock and water and gets into the air you breathe. Radon typically moves up thru the ground to the air above and
into your home thru cracks and other holes in the foundation. Radon can also enter your home from well water. Your home
can then trap radon inside for you to breathe." Nearly 1 out of 15 homes in the U.S. is estimated to have elevated radon levels (4pCi/l or above).
In Florida about 1 out 7 homes tested have elevated radon
levels, some counties in southwest Florida "1 out 4 homes tested have elevated radon levels" (FL DOH).
Elevated Radon levels can be found in most any
home, even High Rise condo's on the 20th floor. You do not have to have a basement to have elevated radon.
Elevated radon levels can be found in all parts of the country. New homes and old home, well sealed homes and
drafty homes, any home can have a radon problem. El Radón guía para su protección y la de su familia For Real Estate Transactions the short term is the quickest way to test a home Short
term radon tests remain in home/structure from 2 to 90 days.
Long term radon tests remain in home more than 90 days.
Did You Know
Florida regulates Radon thru the
Florida Department of Health.
If you hire someone to perform a radon test or radon mitigation they
must be certified by the FL DOH.
Florida Adminstrative Code: 64E-5.1203 General Provisions (1) "Begining January 1, 1989, no person may test for or mitigate the presence of radon in Florida for a fee or other renumeration unless such person has been certified."
"It is a violation of Chapter 404, Florida Statutes and Chapter 64E-5, Florida Administrative Code to provide radon services without being currently radon certified by the Florida Department of Health. Specialists and technicians must provide radon services only through affiliation with a Florida certified radon business. Businesses and individuals will be fined for non compliance." FL DOH List of some of the Florida
Dept. of Health
certified Radon Mitigation Businesses
Due to the fact that there are many more FL DOH certified Radon Measurement Businesses than
Mitigation Businesses this
is only part of the List of Certified Measurement Businesses.
International Association of Certified Indoor Air Consultants (IAC2). Types of Radon Tests
Short
Term Test: Air Chek, Inc. is one of the oldest and most respected radon labs in the country. Their Company is a Florida certified Radon Measurement Business for
long term and short term radon tests. Many home inspectors that are FL DOH certified radon technicians “perform” tests under
Air Chek’s Radon Business. (all FL DOH radon Tech’s and Specialists must work under a FL DOH certified Radon Business) Air Chek’s passive test is one of the most simple to use with reliable results is from Air Chek, Inc. www.radon.com
Long term test: Air Chek, Inc. FL DOH certified Radon Measurement Business also can provide certified
professionals and home owners with long term tests. The Alpha Track from RSSI is one of the most conclusive tests used by homeowners and for radon mitigation warranty tests. Tests are
in the home for more than 90 days, and you do not have to maintain closed house conditions. (look at EPA's Homebuyers
and Sellers Guide to Radon)
Sun
Nuclear / Honeywell The inexpensive Sun Nuclear / Honeywell monitors are very popular with inspectors everywhere. Most do not record climate conditions …. temperature, humidity, & barometric
pressure. This is a good monitor for the FL DOH certified inspector who wants to upgrade from the passive test to a
monitor for Real Estate inspections. Radalink CRM
Radalink monitors are popular with home inspectors in many parts of the country. (The large green box) Radalink Monitors can detect unusual readings of radon, temperature and humidity
caused by opening the windows. Tilt and power sensors, so if someone unplugs the power or moves it you know. It records barometric
pressure readings to help detect unusual radon levels due to extreme weather conditions.
Femto-Tech CRM
This
monitor is considered the "Cadillac" by many professionals around the world.
Femto-Tech
monitors are use world wide by radon professionals. Femto-Tech monitor has tilt sensors and measures the temperature, barometric
pressure and humidity also. This reduces “cheating” in real estate
deals and helps indicate if someone accidentally left a door or window open during the test.
At over $4000.oo each you don’t have to plug them, batteries are good from one annual calibration to the next. Femto-Tech also has a lease program for professionals. http://www.femto-tech.com
There are many many Contiuous radon monitors on the market as well as passive short term and
long term tests. We have tried to provide information about the most popular used in Florida by FL DOH certified professionals.
Useful Links
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State Certified Radon Businesses (FL DOH)
A mitigation contractor must provide:
2) a visual or audible device to automatically indicate system failure,
3) soil gas exhaust vents above the eave of the roof for active soil depressurization systems
4) written instructions on the operation and maintenance of the system, and
5) post mitigation testing by a FL certified radon measurement business.
This system is most commonly used in multi family apartments and condominiums located in South Florida. If you have a condominium or multi-family apartment complex in South Florida this is most likely the system that would be utilized.
"Commercial Facilities are handled basically the same as residential as far as reduction methods are concerned but the installation process may vary due to circumstances such as availability and access. These systems must be installed in a manner that the system can not easily be influenced or disconnected by someone who is not aware of what it is. Even when it is labeled accordingly."
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Florida Statute 404.056 is the law behind the Florida Radon Program. It has six sections describing:
1) Public health standards related to radon exposure, 2) Certification of businesses and individuals who provide radon services,
3) The role of the Department of Health in educating Floridians about radon, 4) Identification of facilities that shall test
for radon, 5) Radon gas awareness notifications in all real estate sales and leases, 6) Authority vested in the Department
of Health to define sections 1-5. (1)
Beginning January 1, 1989, no person
may test for or mitigate the presence of radon in Florida for a fee or other remuneration unless such person has been certified
and works for a certified business. These regulations in no way exempt any person from other state and local occupational
licensure requirements.
Bureau of Community Environmental Health -- |
Orlando Sentinel What are the causes of
lung cancer? Question: If I don't smoke,
what are my chances of getting lung cancer? After reading about Dana Reeve, the wife of Superman actor Christopher Reeve,
I learned of several others who got lung cancer but never smoked. Is this rare?
Dr.
Richard T. Bosshardt | Special to the Sentinel
Posted
December 3, 2006
Answer: It depends on your definition
of rare. Every year, around 170,000 people in this country develop lung cancer. Although 90 percent have a smoking history,
the remainder are nonsmokers -- about 17,000 people per year. Not common, but not rare either.
After secondhand smoke, the second-highest risk factor in developing lung cancer
for nonsmokers is exposure to radon gas.
Radon gas is a tasteless, colorless, odorless gas that results from the
decay of radioactive uranium, which is found naturally in rocks, soil and water. Radon gas occurs naturally in the air and
ground and can enter homes through cracks in the foundation, pipes and other openings.
The U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency estimates that as many as 1 in 15 American homes may contain dangerous levels of radon gas. You can test for the gas
yourself by purchasing a kit available in most hardware stores, or you can have it done for you by contacting the local EPA
office for information. You also may go to www.doh.state.fl.us/Environ ment/community/radon.
If your home has high
levels, certain measures can reduce them by up to 99 percent. The most common one is installing effective ventilation systems
to remove the gas to the outside. An estimated 15,000 to 22,000 lung-cancer deaths a year are the result of radon gas. Smokers
exposed to radon have a much higher lung-cancer risk than nonsmokers.
Asbestos exposure is another risk factor in nonsmokers.
Although it is no longer routinely used in construction and insulation, plenty of asbestos remains out there, especially in
older buildings. Nonsmokers exposed to asbestos increase their lung-cancer risk fivefold. Smoking plus asbestos exposure increases
the risk to a much greater degree than either smoking or asbestos exposure alone. In addition to the typical lung cancers,
asbestos exposure puts one at risk for an unusual cancer of the lining of the lung, called a mesothelioma. Even a few months
of asbestos exposure can greatly increase this cancer risk.
Air pollution from automobiles, industry and power plants
also can increase risk. Some regard long exposure to highly polluted air as equivalent to secondhand-cigarette-smoke exposure.
Air pollution causes an estimated 2,000 lung cancer deaths per year.
People with certain chronic lung diseases, such
as emphysema, also are at greater risk of lung cancer.
Beyond exposure to environmental risk factors, some people have
a unique and innate predisposition to develop lung cancer. It is probably inherited genetically. If you have family members
with lung cancer, this may mean you might be at greater risk. Individual susceptibility to cancer-causing agents can vary
widely. This is probably why some people who smoke one or more packs of cigarettes a day for years don't get cancer, while
others do.
