March 7th, 2012 9:59 PM by Dan Howard
Is radon worth checking in Western PA?
Western PA has a 58% failure rate. Nationally there is approximately a 15% failure rate. Our varied geology and high uranium content rocks make us a high risk area. As an interesting side note, the types of rocks that allow for Marcellus oil and gas are often very high in Uranium, which becomes the radon entering our homes.
Is radon really a health risk?
Simply put, it is the second leading cause of lung cancer after the voluntary cause of smoking.
So why test when purchasing a home?
It is a deadline and people tend to only do things when there is a deadline. It is also an opportunity to negotiate with current owners to participate in the cost of a remediation system. Conversely, if you wait until you are the seller and the next buyer has the test done, you could be the person contributing to the cost of radon mitigation…having already exposed yourself and family to the risks of high radon.