DIYbanter - View Single Post - If a basement is sealed can it still test + for radon?

wrote:
z wrote:

... as a general rule of thumb, the government tends to get involved
with things at a risk of 1/100,000 per person per year...

The NSC lists lifetime odds of auto death as 228:1 and yearly odds
as 17,625:1, 77.3 times less. The EPA lists lifetime odds of radon
death as 137:1 for non-smokers at 4 pCi/l, so the yearly odds might
be 77.3x137 = 10589:1, about 10X more than your 1/100000 risk and
twice the auto risk, so why aren't we doing more about it?

The same reason we don't have a national law requiring all occupants of
an automobile to wear crash helmets (just think! if it could save just
one life, wouldn't it be worth it? NO. ).

At some point, cost/benefit doesn't make sense.

Your radon statistics are for a person CONSTANTLY EXPOSED to 4pCi/l for
DECADES. Even then, the stats are arguable. The supporting data is far
less verifiable than for auto deaths.

If you don't live in your basement, or you aren't planning to live in
that house for decades, stop worrying about it.