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Angelo Bavetta, of Avanty Construction and Radon Removal, Westminster, installs a remediation unit in a local residence.

Written By David Greisman

The average amount of radon in homes tested nationwide for the radioactive gas is 1.3 picocuries per liter.

he level at which a home should absolutely be fixed to have radon removed is 4.0 picocuries per liter.

The average amount of radon in homes tested in Carroll County is 12.3 picocuries per liter, more than nine times the national average and more than three times the level at which the Environmental Protection Agency recommends action.

“A lot of people dismiss radon because they can’t smell it or taste it,” said Mike Kimble, president of Accuspex Home Inspections Service, an Eldersburg company that has tested for radon for 18 years. “But it can be very real.”

Radon occurs naturally, caused by the decay of uranium in rock, soil, and even water. The uranium breaks down into radon gas and seeps upwards through cracks in the earth and then through cracks and gaps in buildings. Radon particles, breathed in, can lead to lung cancer.

There is no way of knowing whether a home has radon unless the dwelling is tested for it. Statistics represent only the homes that have been tested. Air Chek Inc., a North Carolina-based company that does radon test laboratory analysis, has compiled figures based on the 2.5 million tests it has analyzed from around the country since 1985.

In Carroll County, 51 percent of radon tests analyzed by Air Chek have come in at more than 4.0 picocuries per liter.

How prevalent is radon in Carroll County?

“If you tested all the homes, you’re probably looking at 60 percent or 70 percent that will fail,” said Angelo Bavetta, who heads up the Westminster-based Avanty Construction/Radon Removal. “Certain roads are 90 percent.”

The reason? Carroll County’s geology,

“High levels of radon generally seem to be associated with rock-type formations as opposed to sand-type geologies,” said Edwin Singer, director of environmental health for the Carroll County Health Department. “I think that the fact that Carroll County has a rock-type geology more than a sand-type geology does contribute somewhat to the levels of radon being higher here than in other areas.”

The Environmental Protection Agency says homes in eight Maryland counties are expected to have radon levels above the 4.0 picocuries per liter threshold: Baltimore County, Calvert, Carroll, Frederick, Harford, Howard, Montgomery and Washington. The only Maryland county with a higher average radon level than Carroll is Frederick County, at 13.8 picocuries per liter, according to the Air Chek Inc. statistics. Washington County is third highest, at 11.8 picocuries per liter.

Shawn Price, general manager of Air Chek Inc., cautioned that these levels are probably overestimates, because many tests are done in winter months when radon levels are higher. This happens because it is cooler outside a house than it is inside. The hot air rises and more air from underneath is pulled in; a chimney effect that can suck in more radon.

The important thing to note is that more than half of the tests come in high, he said.

“It’s really setting a trend for the area,” Price said. “It doesn’t matter whether the homes average 6 picocuries or 25 picocuries. The bottom line is that there’s a high number of houses with radon, which means there needs to be more testing, more mitigation, and more knowledge by builders to make houses to prevent radon entry.”

Companies like Accuspex can be brought in to test for radon. People can also use store-bought radon tests, which are then sent in to laboratories for analysis.

“I’d recommend it, just to make sure you don’t have a problem,” said Singer, the county environmental health director. “It’s not very expensive. It’s one of those preventive medicine-type things you can do for yourself.”

And people should be aware that just because one home in a neighborhood does not have high radon that other homes could easily have different results, he said.

“Some of it has to do with how houses are constructed,” Singer said. “Houses that are made very tight and leak-proof are more likely to have radon problems than older houses. It varies from house to house.”

Radon levels can be higher in basements because of the soils around a foundation and because they are closed up with fewer windows or doors, according to Bavetta of Avanty. But buildings can have radon problems even if they don’t have basements.

“I’ve pulled high levels off houses with no basement,” said Kimble of Accuspex.

For homes found to have high radon, there are companies that will be brought in to get the radon out and keep it out.

“My job is to do two things,” Bavetta said. “To seal those entry points that allow radon into the home, and then to create a vacuum system to suck the radon out and exhaust it outside so we catch the problem before it comes into the home. Most systems can be put in in three to five hours. The average cost for probably 90 percent of the systems that are out there is $1,000 or less, including all the sealing, piping, fan, and a retest to show the levels are below 4.0. And I guarantee levels will be below four.”

FINDING A RADON REMOVER:

The National Environmental Health Association – National Radon Proficiency Program (NRPP) has a list of residential radon mitigation companies that it has certified. NRPP also has a list of radon measurement companies for those choosing not to purchase home-testing kits.

Radon Mitigation Companies in this area on the NRPP list:

Avanty Construction/Radon Removal, Westminster, 410-848-9476

Mill Water, Inc., Finksburg, 410-833-6646

Utz Plumbing Services, Manchester, 443-250-4657

Benner GeoTech, Frederick, 301-696-0547

G.M.D. Construction Inc., Lisbon, 410-442-1960

Radon Doctor, New Market, 877-381-6925

Radon Detection firms that list in this area:

Greenlight Home Inspections, Westminster, 443-605-6030

Priority Home Inspections, Westminster, 410-458-8198

Accuspex Home Inspection Service, Eldersburg, 410-795-0065

Utz Plumbing Services, Manchester, 443-250-4657

Touchstone Home Inspections, New Windsor, 410-533-8044

Radon Doctor, New Market, 877-381-6925