I have a confession to make. It’s 5pm and I’m still in my pajamas.
Last night’s pajamas.
I haven’t showered or left the house all day either. I know! I have an explanation though, I swear. You see it all started with a gift. A Christmas gift.
Last Christmas my sister-in-law had an extra package sitting next to the tree for Ben and me. We eagerly tore through the wrapping paper and came up with…a radon test.
A radon test? Who? Wha? HUH?
Ok so I know what radon is, from I don’t know – high school chemistry? – but how/why did it apply to Ben and me?
She explained.
Iowa has the highest concentration of Radon (a colorless, tasteless, odorless gas that occurs naturally in the earth) in the United States, and exposure to radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the US, after smoking.
Ummm, what??
She went on to explain that the land in the Midwest, especially Iowa, is very high in uranium, which breaks down to radium, which then breaks down to form radon. As radon decays, the radioactive byproducts (vapors) rise from the ground and are inhaled – which is what causes lung cancer!
She had recently run a test in her basement, where radon levels are usually the highest, and found levels that were three times the limit deemed safe by the EPA, and she wanted us to check ours too.
The test kit sat on my kitchen counter for weeks. It takes one minute to set up, you mail it in for FREE, and results are emailed to you within days. Still, I let it sit there.
“We’re fine…” I tried to convince myself “I’m SURE of it. I don’t need to test for this silly gas!”
Really, I was just scared.
What if the levels WEREN’T safe? The basement is Ben’s man cave! He spends so much time down there! What if he’s been inhaling this deadly gas while watching sports, hanging out with his buddies and brewing beer (his favorite hobby) for the past three years we’ve lived here?!
I had to know for sure, so I finally set the dang thing up, mailed it in and hoped for the best…
I cried when the results came back. 2.5 times the safe limit. TWO POINT FIVE TIMES! MY POOR HUSBAND! We immediately shut the door to the basement and did not return (except to do laundry) until we had a solution – the installation of a mitigation system.
A mitigation system is basically a pipe with a fan on the end of it that sucks the air, and thus the radon, from the sump pump in your basement and funnels it up and out through your roof, where it continues to rise into the atmosphere.
I’m still in my PJs because it took ALL day for the system to be installed, plus I didn’t feel like dressing up for the mitigation man…
Sorry Bill.
Bill told me that nearly 70% of the homes in Iowa have non-safe limits of radon, but the problem is kept very hush-hush by the government and real estate industry…that makes me sad!
Right now in Iowa, a radon test and/or disclosure of unsafe radon levels is not mandatory in order to sell a house, which is why Ben and I had no idea about it when we bought our place. If it wasn’t for my sister-in-law – we’d still be in the basement breathing in poisonous gas every night. I am so thankful for her gift!
If you are building a home, make sure it is piped for a mitigation system, or if you are buying one – make sure that it is tested and have the installation of a system be part of your negotiations if needed. Each house is a special case too – my home has unGodly high levels of radon, but my neighbor’s might not. Radon’s weird that way.
After much research, we learned that young children and the elderly are more susceptible to getting ill from radon, while healthy men Ben’s age are less so and he’ll most likely be just fine. I am SO glad to know that he will be breathing in clean air from now on, and he is SO glad to have his man cave back!!! He’s literally “WAHOOOOOOO”‘ing!
If you live in Iowa, the Midwest – or really anywhere in the US – and own a home, I encourage you to get a radon test kit. Even if you don’t spend a lot of time in your basement where radon mostly hangs out, at least you’ll know. Like I said, it takes one minute to put the kit together, you send it in to be tested in a pre-paid envelope and the results are emailed to you in a matter of days. Wouldn’t you feel better if you just knew, either way?
ARE YOU OVER THE CHEMISTRY LESSON!?
Ok, me too. :)
While Bill worked away, I got a little carried away with a fresh pineapple. It’s true… First up, Cottage Cheese + Fresh Pineapple for lunch.
This is my #1, all-time favorite way to eat cottage cheese – it’s what I grew up eating!
Cold, creamy cottage cheese and fresh, juicy pineapple. Match made in Heaven.Well, it’s Friday and I feel like SUCH a lump for sitting here all day. Tomorrow will be an early start to get in a good workout, run some errands, then get ready for a super-fun, local event my parents, Ben and I are attending in the afternoon. It involves beer AND bread.
I gave my jeans the afternoon off.
Meredith 03.05.2011
So random that you wrote about radon… I’m taking a cancer class and this week, the professor assigned radon explanation to me. Your right about the midwest… Colorado is also known to have high amounts of radon.
Melissa 03.05.2011
That is so scary! I had no idea. My family lives in MI, so I’m going to give them a heads up!
Your pineapple is making me long for summer! Love the cottage cheese and pineapple combo, and those pancakes have me drooling. I love doing pancakes for dinner! They may have to be on the menu this week!
Mallory 03.05.2011
My fiance and I are in the process of buying a house in Iowa City and our Realtor actually encouraged us to get a radon test done along with our home inspection. I’ll have to remember to thank her for being so thorough and saving us the headache you had to deal with. I’m glad all is well now though!
Lindsay @ The Reluctant Runner 03.05.2011
We live in an apartment. Once, in a different apartment, a crack in the ceiling turned into the ceiling half falling down in our kitchen overnight. Our landlords sucked and it took them forever to fix, because first they had to fix the leak in the roof. I was convinced that a bat/squirrel/mouse was going to find its way into our home through the gaping hole in our ceiling, but thankfully none did!
mina | sending postcards 03.05.2011
That’s so interesting. I wonder if it’s a problem anywhere in Canada – it’s so good of you to post about this.
Not quite the same kind of home disaster, but when we went to Tokyo, our 2nd floor toilet tank cracked and caused our kitchen ceiling to fall in. Luckily it was covered by insurance but it was such a hassle!
Lindsay 03.04.2011
I do not own any homes, but my parents own the home we live in and two other properties. Where I live and call home is almost 20 years old and we have been the only owners of the home, but we have had some major issues lately. We had some weather issues and had to have the roof replaced, we had water damage to our kitchen floors, so an entire portion of the house had to have the floors replaced and our sump pump just went out. I feel horrible that my parents have to keep spending money, but luckily most of it has been covered by insurance. Do you know how much the radon test cost and how much it cost to have the repairs done? I live in Illinois so I might have to mention this test to my parents! :)
Lo 03.04.2011
My dad decided to buy a house in the city I moved to for university, as an investment, and then to rent it to me and ‘save money’. It was the worst idea ever. This house is absolutely cursed! From frozen pipes, to mice infestations, ant infestations, blocked drains, lack of heating- you name it! But the absolute worst was 2 Christmases ago, I was visiting my parents two provinces away, and came back to an ICE BLOCK of a house. My furnace had broken down, pipes in the bathroom had burst and leaked water EVERYWHERE, and since it was a good -30C for most of the 2 weeks I was gone, my entire house froze over! What a nightmare!
dmcgirl 03.04.2011
Ah Yes, we have had our share of disaster… I live in a condo and in So Cal a few years ago, EVERYBODY and their brother was in the business – READ SCAM of mold.
the lady nextdoor had some and decided to sue me and the HOA… 20,000 later, I settled and it was a night mare. She got a complete remodel and sold at the height of the market. LOL.. Lucky lady!
But there was nothing in my condo, I was only involved because I shared a pipe with her! NIGHT.MARE!
I am so glad you got that handled… if you ever go to sell, it will be a good selling point!
PJ Days are rejuvinating!
J3nn (Jenn's Menu and Lifestyle Blog) 03.04.2011
Thanks for the reminder! We live in a (rented) 3-year old house in upstate, NY, but I am still very concerned about radon and have been wanting to get a test kit for this house and for our future house purchase. Some types of granite are very high in radon, and our kitchen has granite counters, so I’m paranoid!
So glad that you got the solution, which I never heard of. Thank you for that! We will know what to do if we have an issue with it, but I think it’s a smart idea even if the levels are considered normal. Cleaner air is always in fashion. :)
Mama L 03.04.2011
I’m wondering how much the kit and the mitigation system/installation all cost you….
Iowa Girl Eats 03.06.2011
The kits sell for around $10 and the mitigation system was $1390. Definitely hard to write that check – but it’s worth it for peace of mind!
Nicole 03.04.2011
That is so scary. When I first started reading I was kind of thinking what a lame Christmas present. But wow, you sister-in-law was really thinking.
Glad there is a fix for that. I have to say that sitting around eating pineapple in my jammies all day sounds kind of nice, too bad it was under such circumstances.
Laura 03.04.2011
IGE, you crack me up! I love that you made Bill a PB&J…I bet it made his day! :). I plan to radon test the heck outta my basement, asap…THANKS!!
Jennifer 03.04.2011
We bought a house in Muscatine, IA five years ago and had our house tested for radon before we bought it. Not mandatory but our realtor recommended it. Found nothing but better safe than sorry! :)
holly 03.04.2011
im an environmental toxicologist in california and i just want to stress how this is not an issue in california at all, so people on the west coast dont need to get excited. my company tests for eveything and every once in awhile we get a family that requests a radon test and they 100% are always from the midwest and we have to explain to them how its not needed here. sometimes they still want us to do it, and ive never found limits unaceptable. just a lil FYI to your other readers :)
Valerie 03.04.2011
oh my gosh, how scary! i live in a house that i rent with my boyfriend in texas. we haven’t had any real disasters in this house, thank gosh. i’m glad you found out about that creepy vapor!
i totally laughed out loud at the jelly comment. what’s a PB&J without the J?! side note: try st. dalfour’s jelly. it’s a natural fruit spread, with like 5 ingredients, and no junk. and it’s the best jelly i’ve ever had!
Clare @ Fitting It All In 03.04.2011
I’m at home again in St. Louis and am going to ask my parents if our house has been radon tested. Thanks for the PSA!
Rachel 03.04.2011
Kristin, was the test free? We saw the tests for just a few dollars, but then it was 30 or 40 to get the results! We are buying a house in Ankeny in July!!
Iowa Girl Eats 03.06.2011
The test is around $10 (I think) but the results are free!
Machelle 03.04.2011
I already knew about radon but have never tested my basement. I suppose I should. I own my own home. A 1963 ranch, up on a hill. I bought it 2 years ago from the original owners/builders, an elderly couple who moved to a nice retirement home in Mn. They were both in their 80’s so hopefully I can survive to old age in this house!
Lauren 03.04.2011
When we moved to Iowa a radon test was a must have before we bought our house. Even though the levels we just slightly high, we still insisted on getting a mitigation system installed. Some called it a hoax, but I know the damage radon can do and I’m not willing to risk the health of my family and myself.
I’m sure Bill informed you, but once the system is installed you have to recheck the radon levels in your house to assure the mitigation system is working properly.
Iowa Girl Eats 03.06.2011
Yep – he left us a test kit to start in a few days!
Rachel 03.04.2011
I worry more about black mold in our basement, since ours floods anytime there’s more than a couple inches of rain. As for other household “fun”…Our garage door has been broken for over a year (permanently in the “up” position, until we get it fixed this summer or fall)….And our dining room ceiling has some water damage. Hopefully nothing too serious, though!