Indoor Air Quality
While our home is our sanctuary, its main function is to protect us from the outdoors. But, it’s a symbiotic relationship. Our home depends on us to care for and maintain it. One maintenance item is INDOOR AIR QUALITY (I.A.Q.).
Most modern homes are sealed so tight against outdoor elements that they prevent indoor air pollutants within our home from escaping. As a growing concern worldwide, we are beginning to recognize the critical role indoor air quality plays in our health and wellness. Understanding indoor air quality and the interplay between indoor pollutants and our bodies is the first step in improving and optimizing your air.
EPA’s Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) House Virtual Tour
Get a quick glimpse of some of the most important ways to protect the air in your home by touring the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) House. Room-by-room, you’ll learn about the key pollutants and how to address them:
TYPES OF INDOOR AIR POLLUTANTS
We’ve compiled a list of some of the EPA’s top Indoor Air Pollutants. Click on each for a link to EPA Website. This will help you understand what each is, what their indicators are, health risks associated with each, and what actions you can take to improving I.A.Q.
The federal government recommends that you measure the level of radon in your home. Without measurements there is no way to tell whether radon is present. Radon is a colorless, odorless, radioactive gas. Contact us today (540-860-0744) to schedule your test.
Molds are part of the natural environment. They can be found everywhere, indoors and outdoors. Mold is not usually a problem, unless it begins growing indoors. The best way to control mold growth is to control moisture. The EPA website (LINK) provides guidance about mold and moisture for homes.
DANDER, DUST MITES, & OTHER BIOLOGICAL CONTAMINANTS
Biological contaminants (EPA LINK) include:
- animal dander and cat saliva,
- house dust,
- cockroaches, and
By controlling the relative humidity level in a home, the growth of some sources of biologicals can be minimized. A relative humidity of 30-50 percent is generally recommended for homes. Click on the above link to learn more.
Carbon dioxide, or CO2, is a colorless, odorless gas that is naturally abundant within the atmosphere. Outside, carbon dioxide accounts for just 0.033 percent of Earth’s atmospheric gases. But within the home, this level can increase. At low levels, carbon dioxide is harmless to humans. But elevated values can lead to a range of health problems, including headaches, fatigue and breathing difficulties. There are several causes of elevated carbon dioxide levels in homes. Learn More at:
Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless and toxic gas. Because it is impossible to see, taste or smell the toxic fumes, CO can kill you before you are aware it is in your home. The effects of CO exposure can vary greatly from person to person. Factors such as age, overall health and the concentration and length of exposure. Follow this LINK to the EPA website to learn more.
VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids. VOCs include a variety of chemicals. Some of which may have short- and long-term adverse health effects. Concentrations of many VOCs are consistently higher indoors (up to ten times higher) than outdoors. VOCs are emitted by a wide array of products numbering in the thousands. Check out the EPA web site (LINK) for more information.
INDOOR PARTICULATE MATTER
Particulate matter is a form of air pollution created by other ambient pollutants. For instance ozone, nitrogen oxides, or directly through both outdoor and indoor combustion. For example, items such as stoves, heaters, fireplaces, chimneys, candles, etc.
The government created a web site, www.AirNow.gov to help you keep an eye out for local AQI readings to protect your and your loved ones from particle pollution. These tiny particles can sneak into our homes through windows, doors, and walls.
January is National Radon Action Month
There is no better time for you to protect yourself and your family from Radon, a radioactive gas that causes thousands of lung cancer deaths each year in the U.S.
Radon is second only to smoking as a cause of lung cancer deaths, and it is the #1 cause of lung cancer in people who have never smoked…people like Rachael Malmberg, a 32-year-old athlete and mother, who was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer.
Mention this article & get a Stand Alone Radon Inspection for only $95 (expires 2.28.19).
ROI of Radon Reducing New Construction
Having your dream home built? Make sure you talk to your builder about Radon Reducing New Construction (RRNC) methods and techniques to help keep you and your family safe. Additionally, this will be a huge selling point for “health-conscious home buyers” down the road when you’re working to secure your return on investment.
RRNC is an affordable measure that can be taken during the construction of a home to effectively reduce the homes radon level by approximately 50%. Be sure to hire a properly trained contractor to perform the installation. Although it looks simple, if not done properly it could end up not working at all and then costing more money in the long run to fix it.
It’s important to understand the various options available as “the cost to a builder of including radon-resistant features in a new home during construction can vary widely. Many builders routinely include these features in some of their homes. The cost to the builder of including these features is typically less than the cost to mitigate the home after construction.” (EPA)
For more detailed techniques view Model Standards and Techniques for Control of Radon in New Residential Buildings.
Where & When you need us.
We are excited to announce that we are now open on Sunday’s and have added another inspection time slot on Saturday’s, making it even more convenient to schedule a Home Inspection at a time that best fits your schedule.
Financing Residential Radon Mitigation Costs
Using the HUD 203(k) Mortgage Insurance Program to Reduce the Risk of Lung Cancer in People
The Section 203(k) mortgage financing program is the Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) 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:
- one to four-family dwellings that have been completed for at least one year;
- dwellings that have been demolished, provided some of the existing foundation system remains; and,
- 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 are interested in getting a 203(k) insured mortgage loan. To find a lender, please use HUD’s Lender List (LINK).
Radon Mitigation: FSA Eligibility?
UTILIZING YOUR HEALTH SAVINGS ACCOUNT TO PAY FOR
RADON MITIGATION SYSTEM
We recently read in an article from the American Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists (AARST) Radon Reporter that Health Savings & Flex Spending Accounts can pay for a radon mitigation system instillation per IRS Code “Section 213- Medical, Dental, etc., Expenses”, as:
Under § 213(d)(1)(A), medical care includes amounts paid for the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease, or for the purpose of affecting any structure or function of the body.
It seems that a large majority of HSA’s & FSA’s consider mitigation to be an approved medical necessity to prevent lung cancer if elevated radon levels are detected. The current status with the IRS is that it is approved if using a Health Savings or Flexible Spending Account accompanied with a note from a doctor. The doctors note is referred to as a:
- Doctor’s Statement; or,
- Letter of Medical Necessity.
Home owners are able to get a note from your primary care physician after a test and high level has been confirmed. At this time, testing is not a fee which can be reimbursed HSA’s / FSA’s. Also, according to AARST, some taxpayers have run into difficulty getting this approved as they needed to have been diagnosed with lung cancer prior to allowing the reimbursement.
It seems that another alternative that has been successful is using the recommendation from the U.S. Surgeon General:
“Indoor radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the United States and breathing it over prolonged periods can present a significant health risk to families all over the county. It’s important to know that this threat is completely preventable. Radon can be detected with a simple test and fixed through well-established venting techniques.”
If someone has lived in a home with elevated radon, they are at increased risk and mitigation is a medical necessity if the result was 4 pCi/L or above. Speak with your physician regarding your concerns to ask if this can be included in the letter of Medical Necessity.
AARST is working on adding a statutory requirement to Section 213-1 of the Internal Revenue Code, or to instruct the IRS to make the needed technical change, to include radon TESTING and mitigation in the list of allowable expenses in the IRS Publication 502, Medical and Dental Expenses.
The American Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists (AARST) is pursuing further guidance with the Internal Revenue Service.
We highly suggest that you verify with your health insurance company if further documentation is required and that you consult with your accountant before taking action.
This LINK will take you to the IRS’s Publication 502, Medical and
Dental Expenses, and a list of items that you can include in figuring your medical expense deduction. The items are listed in alphabetical order.
For the latest information about developments related to Pub. 502, such as legislation enacted after it was published, go to IRS.gov/Pub502.
The American Association of Radon Scientists & Technologists
AARST is a nonprofit, trade organization dedicated to the highest standards of excellence and the ethical performance of radon measurement, radon mitigation and knowledge transfer – working to shape public policy for radon risk reduction and awareness.