NC Radon Program

Radiation  Protection

Mitigation

Measurement

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NC Radon Home

Do-It-Yourselfer's Guide to Radon Reduction

If the result of your first test is less than 4 pCi/l:

Do nothing and retest after 2 years OR

For conservative approach, follow the procedure below:

If the result of your first test is greater than 4 Pci/l:

Follow up with another short-term test kit.

 Average the results of the 2 tests

If the average is higher than 4 CPI/l:

Mitigate for radon OR

Follow up with a long-term testing (91 days or longer), if this long-term testing result is greater than 4 CPI/l, Mitigate the house for radon.

If your home has a confirmed radon level above 4 pCi/l, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends that you fix your home in order to reduce the radon level. This will reduce your risk of health impacts from radon (i.e. lung cancer). The technology for reducing radon levels in homes has been well researched and tested in many homes and is generally very successful in reducing radon levels.

The EPA recommends that you select a contractor with specific skills and knowledge of how to reduce the levels of radon in homes. The best indication of these skills is that the contractor has successfully completed the mitigation program and national exam, and is certified by either the National Environmental Health Association(NEHA) or the National Radon Safety Board(NRSB).

List of radon mitigation service providers in North Carolina

If you want to attempt to fix your home yourself, make sure to follow EPA recommendations. The best and most successful strategy is to prevent/ reduce the radon entering the home by removing it near the soil surface under the home.

Mitigating your home for high radon:

There are several ways to reduce the radon in a house. One of the most used methods is called "active sub-slab depressurization". This is accomplished by venting and sealing. One or a series of PVC pipes are penetrated into the slab or foundation; a quiet suction fan is attached to the pipes to vent the radon gases to the outside for dilution.

We recommend you to hire a certified radon mitigator to do the job. But, if you are handy and highly experienced in making home repairs, you can do it yourself.

Hire a certified radon mitigator: It costs between $1,200 to $2,000 in NC. Go to our web site for a list of certified mitigators : www.ncradon.org

Do it yourself:

Use Reference books:

-     The American Society for Testing and Materials International, and is identified as ASTM E-2121

-     Protecting Your Home From Radon; a step-by-step manual for radon reduction (D,L. Kladder): This provides an excellent guide for basement, slab on grade, and crawl space mitigation techniques for the Do-It-Yourselfer.

-     Radon Mitigation Standards; EPA 402-R-93-078 (EPA withdrew this publication as standard, but it is still a good reference)

2. Knowledge through home study:

-          CERTI Course Offerings

3. Radon mitigation suppliers: (this is a limited list, more options can be found through internet searches)

-           Radon Away

-           Fantech

-           RadonSupplies.com

-          RCI 1-800-523-2084