Healthy Indoors Magazine - USA Edition

HI Jan 2019

Healthy Indoors Magazine

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20 | January 2019 bodies that EPA recognizes are the National Radon Proficiency program (www.nrpp.info) and the national Ra- don Safety Board (www.nrsb.org). You can also get help from your state radon program which may of- fer training classes or other help. You can find your state radon pro- gram contact at www.epa.gov/radon/ whereyoulive.html Where exactly do you test for radon in a building? EPA has some recom- mendations. Most importantly, always test on the lowest lived-in level to show risk to residents (If an unoccupied crawl space tests at 6.0 pCi/L, are res- idents at risk? Nobody knows! So, test on the lowest living level). You have to make sure windows and doors are closed during short term tests for at least 12 hours be- forehand. And, don't expect good re- sults (so don't test) during severe storms or high winds. If the home's pressurization changes a lot, the radon level will change, too. Test kits are normally placed 20"-60" above the floor (in the breathing zone) and are not placed in locations with high humidity or in places with more air motion, so avoid kitchens and rooms with a running ceiling fan. Keep them away from exterior walls, too. Test kits should not be disturbed. One person told me her mother had visited, cleaned up without permission, and swept the radon test kit into a drawer—not a recipe for ac- curate results! If a short-term test result is >4 pCi/L, EPA recommends a follow-up test as a confirmation to make sure. In real estate sales, a radon tester may conduct two tests at the same time, to prevent the extra time a second follow-up test might take. If the home is currently being renovated, don't test; too many things could throw off the results. As general guid- ance, tests should be run every few years, because chang- es like new mechanical equipment or air sealing/insulation can change the pressure balance of a home and potentially draw in more radon. Last thing: Radon has been found in high-rises, as high as 26 pCi/L on the 11th floor. In such cases, it's not com- ing from the ground, but likely coming out of the concrete. The only solution is to add ventilation air for dilution. Radon expert Bill Brodhead has successfully done this in several states. His reports can be found at wpb-radon.com. What is wonderful about adding radon services is that you can SAVE LIVES! Yes, performing typical IAQ work can satisfying and rewarding, but it's not often that you can be certain that you saved someone's life. Of course, they may never know that worked, any more than they think about their seat belt. But you'll know. Henry Slack retired from EPA Region 4 in Atlanta after 27 years in the IAQ program, helping people and agencies in the southeast understand IAQ issues. He has spoken numerous times for IAQA chapters and for the IAQA Na- tional Convention. A mechanical engineer, he has been an ASHRAE Distinguished Lecturer since 2014.

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