Lung Cancer and Radon in Indoor Air
In its February 1998 report, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) found that radon is responsible for between 15,000 and 22,000 lung cancer deaths in the United States each year. The NAS estimate is slightly higher than the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) estimate that about 14,000 people die of lung cancer because of long-term exposure to radon in air.
The NAS radon report confirmed the importance of the September 1988 health advisory that the office of the U.S. Surgeon General issued about the health risks of radon. All Americans were urged to test and fix their homes when elevated levels were found. The Environmental Protection Agency recommends that you test for radon and fix your home if the measured level is 4.0 picoCuries per liter (pCi/L) of air or greater. Elevated radon levels in indoor air have been found in every state in the country.
Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. The radioactive gas can enter a home through cracks and openings in floors and walls that are in contact with the ground. Radon comes from the decay of uranium, a natural radioactive element commonly present in soils and rock. Clearly, the presence of elevated radon levels in a home's air is a risk to human health.
Standard mitigation techniques can be used to reduce radon levels to 2.0 pCi/L or less. For the typical home, the radon reduction cost is usually between $700 and $1,200. If you decide to fix your home, get a copy of EPA's Consumer's Guide to Radon Reduction . If the home you're buying qualifies for a HUD 203(k) mortgage loan, you can finance the cost of radon mitigation through the loan.
Financing the Cost of Radon Reduction
The Section 203(k) mortgage financing program is HUD's primary tool for rehabilitating and improving single family homes. The program allows home buyers to finance the purchase and repair or improvement of a home using a single mortgage loan. Reducing radon levels in a home is an improvement that can be financed through a 203(k) mortgage loan.
Part of the 203(k) mortgage proceeds must be used to pay the costs of rehabilitating or improving a residential property. To qualify, the total cost of the eligible repairs or improvements, including fixes to reduce radon levels, must be at least $5,000. The 203(k) program is an important tool for expanding home ownership, revitalizing homes, neighborhoods and communities, and for making homes healthier and safer for those who occupy them.
Homes eligible for 203(k) financing include: (1) one to four-family dwellings that have been completed for at least one year; (2) dwellings that have been demolished, provided some of the existing foundation system remains; and, (3) converting a one-family dwelling into a two, three, or four-family dwelling; or, alternatively, converting an existing multi-unit dwelling into a one to four-family unit.
The 203(k) program has been used successfully by many lenders to rehabilitate properties through partnerships with state and local housing agencies, and with non-profit organizations. To further help borrowers buy homes, lenders have found innovative ways to combine the 203(k) program with other financial resources like HUD's HOPE and Community Development Block Grant Programs.
Contact an FHA-approved lender in your area for more information about HUD's 203(k) program, or if you're interested in getting a 203(k) insured mortgage loan. Check your phone directory's blue pages for the HUD office nearest you; they can get you a list of the 203(k) approved lenders in your area. You can also find HUD's 203(k) home page on the Internet at " http://www.hud.gov:80/progdesc/203k-df.html ".
For information about radon, contact your state or county health department, and request a copy of EPA's Home Buyer's and Seller's Guide to Radon . You can also call the National Safety Council's Radon Hotline at 1-800-SOS-RADON for information and to order low cost, easy-to-use radon test kits. For information on fixing your home's radon problem, call the Consumer Research Council's radon Fix-it-Line at 1-800-644-6999. You can find other EPA documents on indoor air at " /to/epagov.htm/pubs ".
. Questions of a Do It Yourself nature should be submitted to our "