It's easy to forget other home hazards with all the attention paid to mold in the last year. But homebuyers and sellers should keep other hazards such as radon on their radar. Radon is a radioactive (uranium) gas that occurs naturally in soil, bedrock and water. It poses a health problem when it enters the air in homes. It can seep from the soil into basements and living spaces on concrete slab foundations. If you have water supplied by a well, radon can also be present in your drinking water. One out of every fifteen homes in the United States is estimated to have elevated radon levels.

Lung cancer is the primary health hazard from radon. Two factors play a role in how high your risk level is. One is the amount of time you spend in your home and the second is if you are a smoker or have ever smoked. Mark Nash author of 1001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home shares important information on radon. Readers should remember that radon levels are easy to manage in homes.

-Any home can have a high radon level. Old homes, new construction homes. well built or drafty ones and those with or without a basement.

-Condominiums and cooperatives above the second floor are very unlikely to have a radon problem. Radon concentrations diminish quickly as you move away from the ground level.

-Testing for radon utilize either passive or active devices. You can't see, smell or taste radon. So you need to determine if you need passive testing devices such as charcoal canisters or alpha-track detectors available at your local home supply store. Active devices such as continuous radon monitors and continuous working level monitors require trained professionals to operate accurately.

-Testing equipment should be placed in the lowest level of a home that is used as living space, this includes unfinished basements. Testing devices should be placed at least twenty inches off the floor. Care should be taken to not disturb the testing devices and it should be kept away from drafts, high heat and humidity and exterior walls. Close windows and doors half a day before beginning a test. Short term tests run four to seven days. Long term tests can run more than ninety days.

-The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) recommends that you should mitigate (decrease) radon levels that are 4 pCi/L or higher.

-If you need a professional testing contractor, locate one that is listed by the EPA's Radon Contractor Proficiency (RCP) Program. RCP's must adhere to strict standards and follow RCP Mitigation Standards.

-Costs to mitigate radon in homes can vary widely. Test kits that can be purchased at home supply stores are under fifty dollars. Professional mitigation can run from $750-$3,000 depending on where you live and how severe your radon problem is.

Online Resources:
General Information: http://www.epa.gov/radon
Citizen's Guide to Radon: http://www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/citguide.html
National Radon Safety Board: http://www.nrsb.org/

Mark Nash's fourth real estate book, "1001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home" (2005), and working as a real estate broker in Chicago are the foundation for his consumer-centric real estate perspective which has been featured on ABC-TV, CBS The Early Show, Bloomberg TV, CNN-TV, Chicago Sun Times & Tribune, Fidelity Investor