Radon Mitigation in Log/Timber Homes

[Tolzer]

The prevalence of Radon Gas in the soils in areas around the United States is an issue of growing concern. Radon has been deemed the number 1 cause of lung cancer in non-smokers in a study done at the University of Iowa. Radon gas is found in varying levels in almost all regions of the country.

Radon is a cancer-causing natural radioactive gas that you can?t see, smell or taste. Its presence in your home can pose a danger to your family's health. Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in America and claims about 20,000 lives annually.

How have some of you mitigated Radon Gas?

Here is a good resource:

http://www.epa.gov/radon/zonemap.html

[Klapton]

Mitigation of radon in a log home is the same as any other home. For the most part, radon issues can be avoided simply by the design of your home. If you build with a basement, life is much easier if you build a "walk-out" or "daylight" basement, because air can be easily ventilated. If you have a crawlspace or use pier blocks, it's nearly irrelevant, as long as you have vents in your crawlspace. But the only difference between a log home foundation or basement and any other kind of home is that log homes often have thicker foundation walls to hold more weight. But the basement itself, and how you would go about avoiding problems with radon is exactly the same as any other kind of home.