What are the potential risks of being exposed to high levels of radon?

High levels of radon raise your risk of lung cancer over years of exposure, and the EPA names radon the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States after smoking. You can’t see it, smell it, or taste it. The EPA action level is 4.0 pCi/L, and the EPA says to consider fixing between 2 and 4 pCi/L. If your test comes back high, a radon mitigation system brings the number down, and ours runs $900 to $6,000, and most homes land around $1,950 to $2,250.

Radon is a radioactive gas that comes up out of the ground. It seeps in through your foundation, cracks in the slab, the floor wall joint, and a dirt or fieldstone crawl space. Then it builds up in the air you breathe. The slow buildup over years is what gets you, not a one-time dose.

Here in New Hampshire and Maine, our granite and the soil around it tend to push radon higher than a lot of the country. That’s just the geology under us. So a high reading isn’t rare, and it isn’t a sign you did anything wrong.

What the high level actually does to you

Radon decay gives off tiny radioactive particles. You breathe them in. They settle in your lungs. Over time that can damage the tissue and lead to lung cancer. That’s the main risk the EPA flags, and it’s the reason there’s an action level at all.

A few things to know, plainly:

• The risk goes up the higher your level is and the longer you live with it.
• Smokers exposed to high radon carry a much greater risk than non-smokers. The EPA and the U.S. Surgeon General both warn on this combination.
• Short-term exposure at a high level is far less of a concern than years of it. So a high test is a reason to act, not a reason to panic.

The EPA’s guidance is the authority here, and NH DHHS runs a state radon program too. We point homeowners to both. We test and we mitigate. We don’t diagnose anyone, and we won’t tell you what radon did or didn’t do to your health. That’s a doctor’s call.

What you actually do about it

First you test. A short-term test gives you a number. If it’s at or above 4.0 pCi/L, the EPA says fix it. Between 2 and 4, the EPA says consider it. Our radon test runs $50, credited toward the job if you move ahead.

If the number’s high, the fix is a mitigation system. For a normal slab basement, that’s active sub-slab depressurization. A pipe and a quiet fan pull the radon from under your slab and vent it up above the roofline before it ever gets into the house. For a dirt or fieldstone crawl space, we run sub-membrane depressurization instead, pulling the gas out from under a sealed membrane. We install both. Our radon mitigation runs $900 to $6,000, and most homes land around $1,950 to $2,250.

What drives the cost is your foundation and the layout. A clean slab with a good spot for the pipe is one thing. A fieldstone crawl that needs a membrane is more work. We see it, then we price it.

You don’t need a whole basement system to fix radon. A lot of folks think they do. They don’t. Radon is its own system. If you’ve also got water coming in, that’s the Forever Dry System and a separate conversation. If your crawl is dirt, crawl space encapsulation seals it and a radon membrane can pair with that. But a dry, finished basement with a high radon number just needs the radon work. We’ll tell you that to your face.

Our radon mitigation carries a 10-year warranty. We don’t put a radon-level guarantee in writing unless it’s actually in writing on your contract. Re-testing after the system goes in is your job, not ours, and we’d rather you know that up front than assume we handle it.

Branden runs our radon work. The crew calls him B-Radon. He’s the one who’ll size the system to your house. We’re licensed and insured, OSHA-certified, with state radon cert RMS-113966.

If your test came back high, or you’ve never tested and you want to, call us at 603-610-1770 or book your free inspection. We’ll get you a quote within 24 hours. Free inspection, free estimate, and a number you can trust!

See more on our radon mitigation page, crawl space services if your crawl is dirt or stone, and the 603 guarantee.

Related questions

What radon level is dangerous? The EPA sets the action level at 4.0 pCi/L. At or above that, fix it. Between 2 and 4, the EPA says consider fixing. We test for $50, credited toward the job if you move ahead so you know your real number.

Can radon cause anything besides lung cancer? Lung cancer is the main risk the EPA names. It’s the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. after smoking. For anything health-related beyond that, ask your doctor. We do the testing and the mitigation, not the medical side.

Does a high radon test mean I need a whole basement system? No. Radon is its own fix. A high number means you need a mitigation system, which runs $900 to $6,000, and most homes land around $1,950 to $2,250. If you also have water, that’s separate. We won’t sell you a system you don’t need.

How long does it take radon to hurt you? The risk builds over years, not days. A single high reading is a reason to put in a system, not a reason to panic. The EPA’s guidance is built around long-term exposure.