AARST_Radon_Reporter_July_2023

28 | July 2023 POLICY Frequency of High Radon Levels and Mitigation Costs HUD program staff and partners of HUD have expressed concerns about the frequency that radon will have to be mitigated and the incremental cost of testing and mitigation. AARST members are informed of these same concerns every day from customers in the field, on the phone, and by email. We offer the data below to help HUD partners and others quantify risk and potential costs. Frequency of High Radon Levels - HUD FHA Multifamily Properties HUD’s Office of Environment and Energy provided the following results from radon testing reports, which indicate that approximately half of the properties tested July 2017 through April 2022 contained at least one building with radon levels greater than or equal to the EPA action level. Time Frame Ground Contact Testing Required Properties Tested Properties with Radon > 4.0 pCi/L % Properties with Radon > 4.0 pCi/L 7/7/17-3/17/211 25% 810 393 48% 3/18/21-4/30/222 25% or 100%3 204 103 50% Notes 1 Does not include Zone 3 properties – the 2016 MAP Guide excluded testing of these properties. 2 Includes Zone 3 properties – the 2020 MAP Guide requires testing of these properties. 3 A number of loans included in the 3/18/2021-4/30/2022 time frame were processed under the 2016 MAP Guide due to the queue. Frequency of High Radon Levels - CDC Environmental Public Health Tracking Analysis of the pre-mitigation test results available at https://ephtracking.cdc.gov/DataExplorer/ indicates that more than 1/3 of single-family homes contained radon levels greater than or equal to the EPA 4.0 pCi/L action level. Radon Level # Test Results %Test Results > 4.0 718,943 35.7% > 2.0 and < 4.0 497,754 24.7% < 2.0 796,847 39.6% Total 2,013,544 100.0% Mitigation Cost Range - AARST Industry Survey (2022) AARST asked radon professionals about costs in September 2022. The below chart presents mitigators’ response to the question: “What is the typical cost of mitigation in 2022?” 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% $1000 or less $1001 - 1500 $1501 - 2000 $2001 - 2500 $2501 - 3000 $3001 - 3500 $3501 or more Typical Mitigation Cost Single Family (110 mitigators) Multifamily per Unit (72 mitigators)