RADON…Should you be concerned?
  Radon (a known carcinogen) was a big issue 15 years ago and then died down.  Only about 1 in 20 homebuyers will request a radon test.  Radon is a radioactive gas that comes from decaying radium (form of Uranium).  Ohio isn't exactly the Uranium capital of the world so our numbers are generally low.  They measure radon in picocuries per liter of air.  The U.S. outside air averages .4, so you can't get rid of it altogether. EPA recommends a reading of 4.0 or less.  Now I know you may look on the EPA with a jaundiced eye, and like me would love to have them deported to China or India to mess up their economy, but that ain't happnin' so we need to deal with them and the radon.
 
   Radon is colorless and odorless. It's also heavy so it settles to the basement.  Most of us don't spend much of the day in the basement so it isn't all that important to us.  However, if you live or sleep in the basement or spend a lot of time there, maybe you should have it checked out.  Kits are available at hardware stores and on-line for $15.00.  You can lower the test readings by caulking cracks in the basement floor, sealing the sump pump hole and/or installing a fan to draw it from under the concrete and exhaust it under your neighbor’s window.  Crawl spaces should be sealed.  Either concrete the area or install a plastic barrier to prevent gas from escaping from the ground.  Airing out the basement also helps. 
 
   Readings in Central Ohio average 8 - 12 picocuries.  That's 2 to 3 times the recommended reading but some areas of our state test in the 500-600 range.  Maybe that's why so many folks smoke who live in Appalachia... when they inhale smoke from a cigarette it's the only fresh air they get!
 
   So, should you be concerned about radon?  Depends on how you use the basement.  You could have radon professionally mitigated just to be on the safe side, ($800 - $1500) but that may be a little overkill.  Opps!  Bad choice of words.  Let's face it; most of us don’t drive a Mack truck just to be a little safer on the highway.