A COUPLE constructed their dream home only to realize it contained a potentially deadly threat.
They lived in the home for a year before discovering the fatal flaw.
Lisa Berry Edwards and her husband bought their house after getting married in 2018.
A year later, they learned that their new dream home was contaminated with radon.
“When I first learned the results, I was mostly horrified that we had been exposing our family to high levels of radon,” Edwards told Realtor.com.
“I kept thinking of all the hours we had spent in our basement, where radon levels are highest.”
Radon – a radioactive gas that has no smell, color, or taste – is virtually impossible to detect.
The only way to know if your house has radon is to conduct a test specifically for it.
The couple didn’t think to test for radon at first.
In fact, it wasn’t until they had welcomed their baby that they discovered the toxic contaminant in the home.
“When we did our walk-through with the builder before closing, they told us we should test for radon but that we should wait one year for the ground and house to settle to get an accurate reading,” said Edwards.
“But when the one-year mark rolled around, we had a 1-month-old baby (our first) and it wasn’t top of mind.”
WHAT IS RADON?
Radon occurs naturally from the radioactive decay of uranium, thorium, or radium in soil, groundwater, and rocks.
It escapes from the ground and into the air, where it continues to produce radioactive particles that can be inhaled into the lungs and cause cancer and other diseases, including Alzheimer’s.
Edwards, who works for the Prevent Cancer Foundation, is familiar with the effects of radon.
“Radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer (after smoking), so that’s what ultimately motivated me to get our house tested,” Edwards said.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), almost 1 in 15 homes has unsafe levels of radon in the US.
“Testing your home for radon is a small but important step you can take to reduce your cancer risk and protect your family’s health,” said Edwards.
HOW TO REDUCE RADON LEVELS AT HOME
There are many ways to reduce radon in your home.
For example, you could add more vents or air bricks to increase underfloor ventilation.
Install radon sump and pump systems in the basement or under the floor.
Make sure walls and floors are sealed, to prevent cracks where radon can seep through.
Use fans, windows, and vents to increase air circulation in the home.
Realtor.comThe Edwards couple installed a radon mitigation system on the side of their home[/caption] Read More Details
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