My answer to homeowners and prospective homebuyers who ask whether they should get a radon inspection is: yes, just make sure you're not being overcharged (check with local radon inspectors/testers to get a range of the standard market prices). In my opinion, you're better off safe than sorry.

What is radon? Radon is a radioactive, colorless, odorless, tasteless noble gas occurring naturally as the decay product of uranium. The gas is naturally found in igneous rock and soil, but may occasionally be found in well water as well.

Radon testing ottawa is considered to be a health hazard because of its radioactive properties. More concerning, however, is the fact that it's undetectable by persons absent proper equipment. Thus, the gas can be present in your home and you would never know it.

Research has shown that radon gas from natural sources can accumulate in buildings and residential homes, especially in confined spaces such as attics and basements. Once inside the home, the gas may be inhaled or ingested (e.g. through radon-rich water) by the home's inhabitants. After entering the body, the radioactive particles then damage the cells that line your lungs. Eventually, this may result in lung cancer. The problem is, it usually takes years for the onset of any symptoms that would alert the person to the possibility of radon present in the home.

Fortunately, in recent years there has been an increase in radon gas awareness and its possible health effects on people exposed to the gas. According to the United States' Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), radon is the second most frequent cause of lung cancer, after cigarette smoking, causing 21,000 lung cancer deaths per year in the U.S. from indoor air. Individuals who smoke, to begin with, are at even greater risks of contracting lung cancer.

New Jersey, in particular, has several counties that the EPA has marked as having a predicted average indoor radon level greater than 4 pCi/L (the maximum amount that should be present in a home).

The NJ counties with the highest levels of radon are:

• Hunterdon
• Mercer
• Monmouth
• Morris
• Somerset
• Sussex
• Warren

The EPA and Surgeon General recommend that all homes be tested for radon. This is where my "better safe than sorry rationale" comes into play. I've spoken with persons who have told me that they don't feel a radon inspection is necessary because their homeowner friends who live in the area have told them that radon wasn't found in their homes. This may be true and the home you're looking to purchase may also be radon free, but what if it isn't? What if this hazardous, odorless gas is floating through the air in your home and slowly harming you and your family?

Ultimately, you'll have to ask yourself whether the additional fee or a flat fee for a radon inspection is worth it compared to the possible long-term medical effects of possibly harboring undetected radon in your home.