Radon Can Seep Unnoticed Into Southland Homes Too
Odorless, colorless, invisible--and potentially dangerous.
These are the characteristics of radon, a gas that has been found to seep into some homes from the ground below.
While radon is generally not a problem in the open air and tends to be less of a problem in Southern California than other parts of the country, high concentrations of the trapped gas have been found in some homes and commercial buildings in the San Fernando Valley and Ventura County.
The soil on the East Coast generally creates more radon than that of Southern California. But there are localized pockets with high levels of radon here too--and local buyers and sellers are slowly realizing that it may be a problem worth identifying and correcting.
Radon is created naturally by the decay of uranium and radium in rocks and soil, and it has been found to cause lung cancer if inhaled in substantial amounts. The presence of radon in a home, however, can be easily detected and remedied. It is found only in one of 15 homes nationwide and must be present in substantial amounts to cause any harm.
When Norm and Sharon Simmonds bought their home in Thousand Oaks, the real estate agent advised them to inspect the four-bedroom structure carefully. They paid about $200 for a special test to measure the level of radon and found that the residence indeed had a problem. The Simmondses decided to buy the home anyway, but the sellers agreed to pay half the $1,800 cost of installing a system to dissipate the gas that was building up inside. The house now has two pipes with attached fans that direct any underground gas up into the air instead of into the house.
“Our real estate agent said there had been problems with some homes in the area,” Norm Simmonds said. “We were lucky to work with someone who was knowledgeable.”
There are basically two ways to test for radon, said ReveAnn Carlson of Radon Testing Services in Thousand Oaks. The cheaper method comes in the form of a do-it-yourself carbon test kit that can be purchased at many hardware stores for about $25 and then mailed away for laboratory testing. The better method costs about $150 to $200 and involves setting up electronic devices in a home for about 48 hours.
All houses have at least a little bit of radon, Carlson said, which shouldn’t be a cause for alarm. The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency suggests that residents take action to lower the level of radon in dwellings if it occurs at rates exceeding four picocuries per liter of air.
Other factors besides the geographical location of a house may influence how much radon builds up, Carlson said. Homes with a full basement will usually have the most radon problems. Homes built on a slab may also experience radon seeping up from the ground. The least problematic type of construction is a residence built on a raised foundation with a crawl space underneath. Residences that are very well insulated and don’t “breathe” are also more likely to have a radon problem.
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There aren’t many local statistics on radon.
In 1991, however, the state Department of Health Services found that of 800 houses surveyed in Ventura County, 23% exceeded EPA standards for radon contamination. The Ventura County Environmental Health Division has received a grant from the National Assn. of Counties to educate residents, primarily in the east county, about the radioactive and potentially dangerous radon. The money will be used to develop radon awareness lessons for east county high schools and for distribution of radon test kits.
Although the Centers for Disease Control has estimated that radon may cause between 7,000 and 30,000 additional cases of lung cancer annually, there are no federal or state laws that require people to take steps to mitigate exposure in homes and commercial buildings.
While health authorities have been warning about radon for years, home buyers, sellers and real estate agents haven’t given it too much thought.
“It hasn’t been an issue of interest to our buyers,” said Kathy Mehringer, office manager at Fred Sands Realtors in Westlake Village.
John Dennis, owner of Century 21 County Center Realty in Ventura, hasn’t received any requests from would-be buyers for radon testing.
“It’s not something that’s prevalent right now,” he said.
Mike Gardner, president of Mediterranean Heating & Air Conditioning Inc. in Canoga Park, was certified as a radon tester by the state, and he advertised the service. There were basically no takers.
“The market for radon testing has been basically nonexistent,” he said. “Many people just think there is no problem with radon in Southern California, but that’s not true. Individual homes can have a big problem.”
Sources of information about radon are varied. Both state and county health departments offer some information. Radon-testing services are listed in the Yellow Pages. Other resources include the EPA and the National Research Council in Washington.
