As a geologist with no medical background, but a fair bit of understanding of radiation from my time in the Corps, all I can say is that YES, this is that big of a deal. The link to lung cancer is not trivial, I think the article about the Casselton lady suggested around 15,000-20,000 lung cancer cases are attributed to radon each year.
Now, the question as to why bankers and professional organizations that you'd think should be looking out for you, the buyer (realtors, etc) is because they view a defect to a home as a negative. Think about it, you have commissioned people hoping to help you either buy or sell a home. For them the home's sale price, and just the fact if the home is saleable or needs some kind of work, plays into their business. Just imagine how many older homes in ND would fail a radon test if it were requested. That delay equals a lower sale price since the buyer won't fork out as much for a home that he's going to have to put up to a few thousand into to lower the radon. So that's some lost commission (arguably not much though), but even more importantly...once the radon levels are known, you will have to disclose that. And this could make selling a tougher prospect. More effort on the realtors behalf.
The people that build homes aren't necessarily interested in the future homeowner's health either. I know a goofy couple who built in the Bismarck area a number of years ago that wanted a radon system installed during the build. The contractor basically scoffed at them but eventually installed as requested for about $1200 (if memory serves correctly).
I have to ask. Is this really a big concern or is it a industry trying to scare people? If this is such an issue why hasn't this been covered by main news outlets or the health departments been notifying people for decades? How many deaths or illnesses be directly traced back to radon exposure? Where is the health statistics by doctors and trusted agencies? If it is as bad as some claim we should have people dropping dead all over ND. There is a lot of houses in ND with full basements that are not so called vented for radon.
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Can anyone recommend a contractor and get me close on possible cost???
Sorry, don't know any contractors but the handful of retrofits I have heard of cost anywhere from about $800 up to $3500. It all depends on how invasive they have to get and the layout of your basement is a big consideration. Basically, they will come in and drill holes in "hidden" areas of your basement's concrete floor. Insert a piece of pvc pipe that is glued/silicone into the hole, plumb those pipes together and run them over to your utility room or closet where an inline fan is installed to the pipe, and vent it outside.
