Check for Radon Before Buying a Home in Dallas

Radon is a colorless, tasteless, naturally occurring radioactive gas. It’s typically found in rock and soil, and in a few cases, can be found in well water.

While radon is safe in low levels, it is not something you want your home to be built on top of. Once it spreads along the surface of an area, it can travel beneath the floors, seep through the foundation, and spread throughout the home. Because homes are closed spaces rather than open, it is easy for radon to get trapped once it finds a way in.

Toxic radon levels are more likely to buildup during the winter when everyone normally keeps their doors and windows shut tight to stay warm. Radon is also likely to accumulate in the basement because there is a higher level of uranium there.

Radon is responsible for an array of health issues and the chemical can increase your chances of getting lung cancer. There are over 20,000 lung cancer related deaths due to radon annually.

What Should You Do About Radon When You’re Ready to Buy?

Educating yourself and knowing the radon risk level is important. High radon levels are more common than you think and are found across all 50 states in America. If you want to see if your home, or the property you’re considering, contains unsafe levels of radon, give us a call.

A radon level of least 4 picocuries per liter of air is the most dangerous and requires a radon mitigation contractor. Levels between 2-3 picocuries of air is still a concern too. If dangerous levels of radon are found inside a home, it should be cleared out immediately so a professional radon mitigator can come correct the problem.

Knowing the radon levels on a home can also be used as an argument to reduce the cost of purchasing a home. Alternatively, it can make a difference in getting the seller to pay for radon remediation so you can move in the home without worry.