Radon_Reporter_March2020

THE RADON REPORTER | 13 12 | March 2020 POLICY MEASUREMENTAND MITIGATION Getting Radon Testing Right Bruce Snead, Radon Programs Administrator and Director, Engineering Extension at Kansas State University In the past ten years as a provider of national public radon technical assistance for the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Radon Program at Kansas State University has processed more than 100,000 calls and inquiries about radon. The range of questions is interesting to say the least. We often find ourselves providing information during real estate conversations among citizens, home inspectors, and real estate agents; citizens, mitigators, and real estate agents; or buyers, sellers, and their real estate agents. Our goal is to provide an unbiased and practical source of information for everyone on all sides of the conversation, share EPA and state guidance, provide access to certified measurement and mitigation professionals, and assist callers in understanding and reducing their risk of radon exposure. While some home inspectors and real estate agents think that radon testing is required (which is not a bad thing), it is only required in Montgomery County, Maryland, in rental housing in Maine, and in some multi-family projects financed by HUD. In many locations, especially those states and areas with higher radon potential, radon testing is standard procedure, even though it is not required. Unfortunately, in many other locations, agents may say, “Radon is not a problem in our area,” which is, of course, not true, and leads to a reduction in testing and a lack of recognition of the risk posed by long-term exposure to elevated radon levels. The Surgeon General has repeatedly recommended that all homes be tested for radon, and the EPA is leading efforts for local education on radon testing to physicians and schools across the country. Regardless of the views of the participants involved in real estate transactions, it is critical that appropriate and accurate radon measurements be conducted so that clients have a sound basis for the mitigation decision and negotiation. That means designing and following a Quality AssurancePlan (QAP), including followingdeviceoperation and placement instructions, ensuring annual CRM calibrations, and conducting duplicates and cross-checks fundamental to assuring quality measurements. This assures all clients that results are valid and representative of the potential for elevated radon in the home. Radon professionals understand there is uncertainty in every measurement, and the standards outline what we do to minimize that for every measurement. Also, taking steps to minimize violations of closed-house conditions during short-term measurements is fundamental. Test results under real estate testing options (especially when the result is at or exceeds 4.0 picoCuries per liter of air (pCi/L)) often are challenged as non-representative for any number of reasons. It is crucial that the testing professional evaluate the results, and assuming he or she determines the results to be valid and substantiated, then stand behind the results without casting doubt on the measurement. Conducting a second measurement simply because a participant in the transaction takes some issue with the result should be avoided as much as possible if there is no reason to doubt the initial measurement. What happens to the house during the test has far more influence on the results than the specific device used to conduct the test. This is the reason why short-term tests must last for a minimum of 48 hours, provided closed house conditions were maintained for 12 hours prior. If the closed house conditions had not been maintained for 12 hours prior, the only option is to conduct the test for at least four days. Radon professionals do all they can to provide reliable results but are also aware that the natural variability of radon may lead to a result of 3.9 pCi/L at the time of this sale, and a result of 4.1 pCi/L when the same house is sold in another year. When testing results lead to mitigation, properly installed systems have proven capable of reducing any level of radon to below 4 pCi/L and, in most cases, below 2 pCi/L and even 1 pCi/L. A review of states with regulations will reveal numerous mitigation system inspection checklists, and it is important to access the state checklist as a reference when working in that jurisdiction. AARST and NRPP members have access to an excellent checklist in the MAH 2019 Companion Guidance, which can be found here: https://standards.aarst.org/MAH-2019/34/index.html on pages 34-36. As radon professionals encounter field testing and mitigation challenges, representatives at the National Radon Program Services at Kansas State University are available to respond to you and your clients to help resolve situations based on practical knowledge and experience with these issues. Contact Bruce at Engineering Extension at Kansas State University, 2323 Anderson Ave. Suite 300, Manhattan, KS 66502, bsnead@ksu.edu or www.sosradon.org , 1-800- 557-2366. Congress Opens New Market for Radon Services Since the mid-1990s, the US Defense Department has privatized much housing for members of the military and their families, to the extent that 99%of all USmilitary families and many individual service members reside in privately managed housing. As a result of reported health hazards and other problems in these properties, Congress initiated extensive changes in how such housing is maintained and monitored as one element of the Defense Authorization Act signed into law on December 20, 2019. The housing-related changes include the development of a uniform code of basic housing standards, plans for hazard assessments and inspections, CO detector, and radon testing/mitigation. Yes, you read that correctly! AARST’s comments, advanced by our lobbyist Randy Pence, yielded new radon requirements in privatized military housing: 1) Regular testing of dwellings by persons who possess certification 2) Testing procedures consistent with current national consensus standards and in compliance with Federal, State and local radon regulations 3) Submission of mitigation plans for building with high radon levels Progress to bring radon protections to federally supported housing continues, year after year! Policy Updates: RRNC Results Are In: ICC Members Supported Protecting Occupants from Radon Collaboration among the Conference of Radiation Program Directors (CRCPD), the American Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists (AARST), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) advanced consumer protection in 2019. Code officials participating in the International Code Council’s code development process agreed during an October hearing in Las Vegas and again in online electronic voting in November- December to require testing of radon control systems installed in new homes per Appendix F of the International Residential Code. They also rejected adding an option for sidewall venting of radon systems. Appendix F is an optional part of the International Residential Code which can be adopted by local jurisdictions. Ready for Prime Time: AARST Standards for New Construction of Homes Some six years after the publication of ANSI-AARST CCAH-2013, also known as RRNC 2.0, the AARST Consortium has completed the hard work of revising/updating CCAH and publishing a second standard ANSI-AARST RRNC-2019, also for new construction. Both standards involve the same rough-in of the core components of a radon system but only CCAH requires activation. All in the extended radon family are encouraged to present RRNC and CCAH to state legislatures and code/housing agencies to (1) promote their adoption into laws/regulations/ordinances and (2) prepare for acceptance of these standards in the 2022 International Code Council’s code development process. Remember that the ANSI-AARST standards are available for free online viewing – all you need to do is include the link in your email to the legislator or code official of your choice!