Is there Radon Gas in Your New Home

You're getting ready to make a real estate purchase in St. Louis, MO. and have scheduled all of your inspections. But have you scheduled them all. Radon is known as the secret killer.

It is the number 2 cause of lung cancer and orderless. It has become easier to test for Radon and you can remove it pretty easily too.

From Consumer Reports, here are some steps to making your home radon-free:

Measurement: The first thing to know is that radon is measured in picocuries per liter (PCi/L). The national average indoor level is 1.3. Anything above 2, the EPA suggests remediation. Above 4 is the recommended level to take immediate action.

What is your risk: Throughout Missouri our levels are higher than others, radon levels vary from home to home and even street to street. The only way to determine radon levels in your house, for sure, is to test.

Inspector: A licensed Inspector will charge you around $175.00. He installs a meter in the lower level of the home for a period of 48 hours and provides you a printed report of the Radon levels. This is our recommended type inspection.

Radon test kits: Are accurate and in-expensive. Purchasing the long-term kit provides better accuracy. These kits take sampling levels for 90 days or more and will give you a better reading on average radon levels than a short-term kit. A long-term kit costs about $40. If you do need faster results, one accurate short-term kit to use is the RTCA charcoal canister. It costs about $20. But its results should still be confirmed with a long-term kit just to be on the safe side.

If you discover your home contains radon, call a professional. A radon-removal kit can cut levels to below 2 PCi/L. They will cost from a low of $800 to as much as $2,500 if you live in a two story type home. For an average house, the cost is about $1,200. Contact the EPA to locate a trained professional in your area or contact The "H" Team for a local radon contractor.