Buying a property is always a little scary. Even when you do your full due diligence, it’s what you can’t see that can be truly frightening. Under the ground, in the walls, or colorless, odorless contaminants in the air could cause you the most worry when you are buying or leasing a building. With human health being paramount when occupying a building, all of these ‘scary things’ can be identified through industrial hygiene testing and can be remediated completely or mitigated to prevent risks to your inhabitants and protect you from liability now and into the future.
Ghostly Gases and Inhalants
Radon is a radioactive gas that is present in soil, water, and/or rock. Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that is produced as the uranium, which is present in soil, rock and water breaks down. Recently, many countertops have been determined to be releasing radon into homes. As a recognized carcinogenic, the EPA estimates that exposure to radon gas is responsible for more than 20,000 lung cancer deaths a year. It can seep through cracks in walls, foundations, around service pipes, or construction joints. Since 2008, dozens of new state radon regulations have been filed in state legislatures to address radon concerns and protect occupants’ health. Increased radon awareness coupled with the support of legislation has had a big impact: radon testing and mitigation efforts have increased significantly in recent years.
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