Radon Mitigation in Elkton, MD
Challenge
Radon is estimated to be responsible for at least 15% of all cases of lung cancer. Radon gas is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that seeps up out of the soil, accumulating underneath the concrete slab of your home, and then enter your home through cracks and openings in the concrete basement slab. Therefore, it is important to have your home tested for radon gas concentration to reduce the chances of your household occupants getting lung cancer.
Radon concentration levels in the air are measured in picocuries per liter of air (abbreviated as pCi/L). The EPA recommends taking action to lower radon levels inside your home whenever concentration levels of radon gas when the reach 4.0 pCi/L levels the EPA. The WHO (World Health Organization) recommends taking action whenever radon concentration levels inside the home reach 2.7 pCi/L or above.
The radon concentration test for this homeowner in Elkton, Maryland indicated radon levels to be 7.4 pCI/L, well above both the EPA and WHO recommended limits for action. This homeowner knew it was time to take action.
Lawson Home Services conducted a thorough inspection of the homeowner’s basement to determine what needed to be done to prepare for the radon mitigation system:
- Cracks in the basement floor
- Gaps between the concrete slab basement floor and the basement walls
- 2 open sump pits
Solution
First the concrete basement floor was prepared:
1. The crack in the basement floor was sealed with NexusPro® Floor Crack Sealer
2. The gaps between the floor slab and the basement walls were sealed all around the ouside edge of the basement with NexuxPro® Floating Slab Joint Sealer
3. The plumbing connections were re-fitted allowing the open sumps to be sealed with sump pit covers.
To complete the job, two openings, required for the radon vacuum system were cut through the basement floor in two locations. These openings were then properly fitted with vacuum lines connecting to a vacuum fan outside the house. The vacuum fan sucks out the radon out from under the basement floor slab and sends it into the atmosphere, through an exhaust tube, above the house where it cannot re-enter the home.
