OC: Radon and Home Inspections: An Overview

You cannot see, smell or taste radon, but it still may be a problem in your home. Radon is a carcinogenic gas that is hazardous to inhale, therefore build-up of radon in homes is a detrimental health concern. When you breathe air containing radon, you increase your risk of getting lung cancer. Each year, about 12% of lung cancer cases and more than 20,000 Americans die of radon-related lung causes. Therefore, as a home inspector, it is integral that you are knowledgeable about the identification and remediation of radon gas in the home. This course will provide some basic information on radon for residential properties, including the definition of radon, an explanation of where it comes from, and a discussion of how it relates to the general home inspector. This course will also review how radon enters a structure and common mitigation methods. The overall course level is intermediate.