Radon Reporter March 2022

22 | Mach 2022 ASSOCIATION NEWS Elevated Radon at the AARST-NRPP Office Christina Johnson, NRPP Credentialing Manager The AARST-NRPP administrative office staff are no strangers to the danger of radon and what it takes to keep families and communities safe from the deadly gas. Their workdays involve helping radon contractors get certified to become qualified, knowledgeable professionals working to be a part of the solution. But as they always say, to give others the best quality care and assistance, one must also take care of themselves! After the staffmoved their offices into a remodeled 1920’s bungalow-style house near downtown Hendersonville, North Carolina, it was obvious what they had to do – get their new office tested for radon. They hired a local expert, NRPP-certified radon measurement and mitigation professional, and owner of Radon Control Products, Henri Boyea, along with his team, to complete a 48-hour continuous radon test. Henri found that the initial post-test results indicated elevated radon levels at 9.3 pCi/L. The results prompted staff to contact the office building landlord to inform them that a mitigation system was necessary. Henri evaluated the basement for the system installation. He noticed that therewas asbestos on an old, non-working furnace. At that point, he alerted the AARST-NRPP team, and an environmental specialist was brought in to safely remove the dangerous asbestos. Henri was then able to move forward with the mitigation install. Diagnostics showed very tight clay beneath the slab, making an active soil depressurization radon reduction (ASD) system unlikely to be effective. This led Henri to believe the crawlspace area at the front and edges of the basement was the primary radon source. He proposed a two-step mitigation plan: ASD for the crawlspace and installation of a small Energy Recovery Ventilator if further radon reduction was needed. Once the ASD system was installed, a continuous radon monitor was utilized to test and obtain the post- mitigation results. After 48 hours, the staff got great news – thanks to the new mitigation system, the radon levels had dropped to 2.8 pCi/L. Thanks to Henri and his team for working hard to keep the office safe for AARST-NRPP staff and visitors. It is real proof that the work put in by the AARST-NRPP team to help others has come full circle- working together to STOP RADON every day.