"I Don't Need A Radon Test, There Is No Basement"

This is one of the more common misconceptions that we hear as Home Inspectors over and over again. I think where this false perception may originate is that there is an assumed greater risk in homes with a basement, because Radon will tend to gather or accumulate on the lowest level of the house. And since Basements are typically not as well ventilated, the risk is there for higher levels of Radon, as opposed to a house without a basement. However, do not mistake this to mean that if you do not have a basement, then you do not need to worry about Radon at all. The fact is, Radon can be a problem in ANY home, no matter what type of foundation, or how old. (View Radon FAQ's from the E.P.A.).

We have performed tests in homes with slab foundations, and homes with crawl spaces that have had elevated Radon levels. So we have seen first hand that Radon can be a problem in any house, regardless of foundation type. In fact, the highest test levels that I have seen personally, were in fact on a slab foundation....and the levels were  nearly 20x higher than the E.P.A. recommended threshold of 4.0 pCi/L (pico curies per liter).

It is also probaly good to know that most of Indiana is located in the Zone 1 level on the E.P.A. RADON MAP. This is the highest risk zonel, meaning that there is a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than the maximum E.P.A. recommended level of 4 pCi/L.

We recommend having every house tested for Radon, simply because of the fact that there is no other way to determine whether or not a home has elevated Radon levels. You can't see it or smell it, so having the home tested prior to purchase really is recommended. Don't worry though,  it's not a "deal killer"! Radon is easy to test and relatively easy to mitigate. So even if the test shows high Radon levels, it can be eaily mitigated in most houses, and typically at the sellers expense. 

More inforamtion can be found on the web, and specifiacally on the E.P.A.'s website. At the very least, if you have not already done so, look through the information on the Home Buyers & Sellers Guide To Radon. This can answer a lot of common questions that you may have about Radon.