Radon at Tahoe

Connections

Information, products, and assistance to help you move forward with your radon project.

Sponsors
of Radon at Tahoe

In the interest of encouraging quality radon services in South Lake Tahoe, Radon at Tahoe seeks to promote local radon service providers who meet local, state and national certification requirements, who are state contractors licenses, and who have earned a reputation for quality work and fair prices. Sponsors of Radon at Tahoe get a free web page listing on this site and agree to pay a small finder's fee to Radon at Tahoe for any projects originated from Radon at Tahoe. There is no conflict of interests in this arrangement, it is simply a way to promote good, available radon services. The community benefits by having access to qualified professionals, the sponsor gets referrals, and Radon at Tahoe is compensated for promoting radon action at Tahoe. Any local radon business wishing to become a Sponsor, please contact me with your radon qualifications: jeff@jeffminerconsulting.com

Caveat Emptor
While Radon at Tahoe feels these individuals are qualified radon specialists with good work ethics, the customer is ultimately responsible for who they hire and for supervising the work that is performed. Radon At Tahoe offers this service to benefit all concerned, but can take no responsibility if any business relationship between customer and vendor is less than satisfactory. In fact, customer comments will be added to the sponsor page to let others know the level of your satisfaction with the vendors. Email comments to Radon at Tahoe (jeff@jeffminerconsulting.com). Caveat Emptor - "Let the buyer beware" - always applies.

That said, we are proud to have these radon service providers as sponsors.
Tell them Radon At Tahoe sent you.

Dirk Roper
Fallon Heating and Air Conditioning

Chris Dwyer
Clean Space - Crawl Space Encapsulation System
and Dwyer Custom Coatings

PDS Professional Discount Supply
for radon supplies

Peter Mandel
MG Remediation, Inc.

Federal Government
Environmental Protection Agency

The EPA has a very complete radon web page for understanding the general and scientific aspects of radon gas.
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/radon/

A Physician's Guide - Radon: The Health Threat with a Simple Solution - 1993
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/radon/pubs/physic.html

Radon Frequently Asked Questions
http://www.epa.gov/radiation/faqs.htm

EPA Map of Radon Zones
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/radon/zonemap/

Radon Specific Publications and Resources
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/radon/pubs/index.html#radon

Consumer's Guide to Radon Reduction
http://www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/consguid.html

Home Buyer's and Seller's Guide to Radon
http://www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/hmbyguid.html

Proposed Radon in Drinking Water Rule
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/radon/proposal.html

A Citizen's Guide to Radon: The Guide to Protecting Yourself and Your Family From Radon
http://www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/citguide.html

National Safety Council
Excellent web site with information about radon and how to fix the problem
National Radon Hotline:
(800) 767-7236
National Radon Helpline:
(800) 557-2366
National Radon Fix-It Line:
(800) 644-6999
http://www.nsc.org/issues/radon/index.htm

National Radon Fix-It Program
http://www.nsc.org/issues/radon/fixit.htm

Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors.
This is the site for all the state radon officials in the nation. Good insider information on radiation and radon
http://www.crcpd.org/

State of Nevada

Adrian Howe
Radiological Health Section
Department of Human Resources
Radon Program
4150 Technology Way 3rd Floor
Carson City, NV 89706
Phone: 775/687-7531
Fax: 775/687-5751
E-mail: ahowe@nvhd.state.nv.us
website: http://health.nv.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=293&Itemid=453

Why Do Real Estate Professionals Need to Know About Radon?

State of California

George Faggella
Radiologic Health Branch
California Department of Public Health
P.O. Box 942742
Sacramento, CA 94234-7320
Phone: 916/449-5674
Fax: 916/449-5665
Toll free: 1-800/745-7236
E-mail: George.Faggela@cdph.ca.gov
Website: http://www.cdph.ca.gov/healthinfo/environhealth/Pages/Radon.aspx

George helped me navigate the various radon web sites and gave me pointers on the design of my mitigation system. The DHS web site is a good source of radon information and links. It is also a good source of certified radon testers and mitigaters in California.

California Certified Radon Mitigators and Testers
http://www.cdph.ca.gov/healthinfo/environhealth/Pages/RadonServiceProviders.aspx

El Dorado County
Planning Departments
El Dorado Co Environmental Management
Dave Johnston, Supervising Hazardous Materials Specialist,
Email: davej@co.el-dorado.ca.us Phone: 530-621-5300
http://www.co.el-dorado.ca.us/emd/solidwaste/index.html

Dave has attended radon abatement training sessions in Washington D.C. and he questioned the presenters on the confusing inverse relationship between the level of radon in a county and the number of cases of lung cancer in that same county. He has no explanation on why counties with the highest radon levels have the lowest incidents of lung cancer, while the counties with the lowest radon levels have the highest incidence of lung cancer. I have not seen the statistics but taking him at his word, my guess might be that it could be partially explained by the long wait period to get cancer from radon gas, mixed with a possible high transiency rate in those counties. More research here would be helpful.

Shane Martin, R.E.H.S.
Senior Environmental Health Specialist
El Dorado County Environmental Management
3368 Lake Tahoe Blvd., #303
South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150
Phone: (530) 573-3454
Fax: (530) 542-3364
E-mail: shane.martin@co.el-dorado.ca.us

Shane was helpful in sending me information on government web sites, though no programs exist in his department to test for or abate radon in El Dorado County.

El Dorado County Planning Department
Placerville
Peter Maurer - 530-621-5355

Virginia Huber, R.E.H.S.
Environmental Management Department
Tahoe Division Manager
530-573-3450
http://www.co.el-dorado.ca.us/emd/
http://www.co.el-dorado.ca.us//emd/envhealth/
vhuber@co.el-dorado.ca.us

I could find no radon programs under environmental health or hazardous wastes for this county planning department, either at Lake Tahoe or in Placerville.

El Dorado County
Building Departments

El Dorado County Building Department
South Lake Tahoe - 530-573-3330
Larry Lohman, Branch Manager
Jim Swanson, County Building Inspector

Larry has no programs to test for or abate radon through building permits in the county portions of the Lake Tahoe Basin. He says if it's not in the Uniform Building Code it can't be enforced. He was not interested in applying for a free all expense paid training on radon mitigation in new construction because he would not be able to enforce the new methods.

City of South Lake Tahoe
Planning Department

City of South Lake Tahoe Planning Department
Judy Finn - 530-542-6020

My research indicates that building departments and planning departments do not currently issue testing or mitigation guidelines or specifications to those building houses. When asked, they refer me to the environmental management agencies. I think this is a weakness in the building and planning process as home owners are not made aware of problems or even potential problems before they move in to a new home. Fixing it after the fact is usually more difficult (and expensive) than during the planning and building stage.

City of South Lake Tahoe
Building Department

City of South Lake Tahoe Building Department
Dave Walker - 530-542-6010
Currently no plans to issue radon testing guidelines or requirements with building permits.

Scientific and Public Policy Radon Groups

The Lungevity Foundation
http://www.lungevity.org

Radon Ranger Publications
http://www.radonranger.com

The American Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists (AARST)
http://www.aarst.org

The American Radon Policy Coalition (ARPC)
http://www.radonnews.org

Cancer Survivors Against Radon (CANSAR)
http://www.cansar.org

The American Lung Association Radon Fact Sheet
http://www.lungusa.org/site/apps/s/content.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=34706&ct=67121

Radon in Rental Housing

Environmental Law Institute
Radon in Rental Housing: Legal and Policy Strategies for Reducing Health Risks
Initiatives targeted at reducing exposure to high radon levels in rental housing
1994, $18
http://www.elistore.org/reports_detail.asp?ID=343

Funds may be available to reduce high radon levels in rental housing
There are some federal programs that might be used to help fund radon reduction in homes that are affordable to limited income families. These programs generally give money to local agencies or groups, which then fund the work. Some examples are:

Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program - funds rehabilitation and repair of affordable housing. For more information, call the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) at (202) 708-3587.

"203k" program - funds rehabilitation and repair of single family homes. For more information, call HUD at (202) 708-2121.

Environmental Justice Grants - funds community-based organizations and tribal governments addressing environmental concerns of people of color and low income communities. For more information, call EPA's Office of Environmental Justice at (800) 962-6215.

Radon Products and Services

Air Chek, Inc
Air Chek distributes the $10 Radon Test Kit
http://www.radon.com/

Radon Test Kits are also available free to California residents from the
Department of Health Services
Radon Hotline 1-(800)-745-7236
http://www.dhs.ca.gov/ps/ddwem/environmental/radon/default.htm

Infiltec is a good site for diagrams and plans of installed mitigation systems.
http://www.infiltec.com/

Radon Supplies
888-800-5955
This is where I purchased my radon mitigation supplies. Good products and fast service.
http://www.radonsupplies.com

Family Safety Products, Inc.
Manufacturers of the Pro Series 3 Radon Detector that I recommend and sell.
http://www.familysafetyproductsinc.com

Alpha Energy Laboratories
http://www.drhomeair.com/

Landauer
http://www.landauerinc.com/radtrak.htm

Accustar Labs
http://www.accustarlabs.com/shop_homeowner.php

RTCA
http://rtca.com/

Festa Radon Technologies
http://www.festaradontech.com/

Professional Discount Supply
I met these folks while taking my radon classes at CERTI in Colorado. They supplied me with EPA approved supplies and materials for radon mitigation.
http://www.radonpds.com/
1-800-688-5776
See my recommendation on Supplies Page

Radonaway
http://www.radonaway.com/

Professional Testing

Certified radon testers are available in South Lake Tahoe, Sacramento, Carson City and Reno who will come up to Tahoe to test a house. They use expensive and sophisticated monitors that detect fraudulent tampering with the test for real estate transactions, as well as canister tests sent off to a lab. You can view a list of certified testers in California at the National Environmental Health Association - http://www.cdph.ca.gov/healthinfo/environhealth/Pages/RadonServiceProviders.aspx

Here is a partial list of local testers I am aware of. I am sure there are more. Please do your own research. I do not endorse any of these, but only list them for your information

Jay Stahler
Blue Marble Inspections
Sacramento, CA, 916-971-4716
Jay and Jim Stahler do home and radon inspections
They are certified by NEHA and use a $4000 continuous monitoring device
They charge $250 for the test and $100 for travel to Tahoe

Greg Scolari
Home Team Home Inspections
Reno, NV - 775-829-4415

Bruce Pickering
Inn-Spec Home Inspection Service
South Lake Tahoe, CA - 530-542-2888

Professional Testing and Mitigation

Sponsors
of Radon at Tahoe

That said, we are proud to have these radon service providers as sponsors.
Tell them Radon At Tahoe sent you.

Alan Bennet
Sierra Radon Services
Reno, NV - 775-853-1409
Alan uses canister testing sent out to certified radon labs. This is one of the few local radon mitigation services. Does not like to come up to the Lake, last time I checked.

A note on pricing:
As of 1/19/2007, the California Radon web site list only three certified radon mitigators, and they are all in Southern California. One from Somis, CA came to Tahoe and charged nearly $4,000 to mitigate the house of one of my radon tester customers.

Radon Certification Organizations
THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION (NEHA)
720 SOUTH COLORADO BLVD.
SOUTH TOWER, SUITE 970
DENVER, COLORADO 80246-1925
PHONE (303) 756-9090
FAX (303) 691-9490
EMAIL: STAFF@NEHA.ORG
HTTP://WWW.NEHA.ORG/

NATIONAL RADON SAFETY BOARD (NRSB)
P.O. BOX 703
ATHENS, TEXAS 75751
EMAIL: INFO@NRSB.ORG
PHONE: (866) 329-3474
FAX: (903) 675-3748
HTTP://WWW.NRSB.ORG/NRSB-S1.HTM

Center for Environmental Research & Technology, Inc.
Colorado Springs Training Facility for NEHA Certification
http://www.certi.us/

National Environmental Health Association
National Radon Proficiency Program
Certification programs for professionals and testing devices
http://www.neha-nrpp.org/

Books

A search for "radon" on Amazon.com lists 736 books, including:

The "Best" Radon Mitigation Book (in my humble opinion, and which I carry)
Second Edition of Doug Kladder's Radon Mitigation Book
A "How To" manual for the do-it-yourselfer
Protecting Your Home from Radon: A Step by Step Manual for Radon Reduction, 1993
by Douglas L. Kladder, James F. Burkhart, Steven R. Jelinek

Radon - The Invisible Threat, 1987
by Michael Lafavore also available used on Amazon. The story radon: What it is, how it was discovered to be a problem and how the mitigation measures were developed. A good read if you want to learn more about radon in a narritive fashion.

Complete list of Radon-Specific Publications and Resources from the EPA
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/radon/pubs/index.html

Once you have an EPA Publication number, go here to order
http://yosemite.epa.gov/ncepihom/nsCatalog.nsf/SearchPubs?OpenForm&CartID=9657-113711

The U.S. Geology Survey has a good book called The Geology of Radon
It is free with a $5 handling charge
http://energy.cr.usgs.gov/radon/georadon.html The El Dorado County Library

Books available from our local library:

Radon : a homeowner's guide to detection and control
Cohen, Bernard Leonard, 1924-

Radon : the invisible threat : what it is, where it is, how to keep your house safe
Lafavore, Michael.

Facts on radon and asbestos
Taylor, Ron (Ron B.)

The radon file Vitola, Denise.

Protecting your home from radon : a step-by-step manual for radon reduction
Kladder, Douglas L.

Training for the Professional (and home-owner!)

Home study courses are available in radon testing and mitigation certification. Qualified individuals and contractors may consider radon testing or mitigation as an off-season profession. Learn more.