Radon Levels in Daybreak

There has been much talk recently about the subject of Radon but what is it and is it a problem in Daybreak?

If you did not know Radon is the leading cause of Lung Cancer after smoking. It’s a colorless and odorless gas found usually at low levels, especially in home basements and is created by the natural breakdown of uranium is rock, soil and water.

Now we know what it is, how do we find out if your home as a problem. Well the easiest way to check is at the time of your home purchase, your home inspector will be able to tell you if a mitigation system is already in place, and if not they should be able to perform a radon test for you. The test involves plugging in a piece of equipment which takes Radon readings over a number of days.

For those people who already own their home a home test kit can be purchased, or you can get a home inspection company / radon mitigation company to perform the test for you.

If the readings are over 4 pCi/L (pico-Curies per liter) which is the level deemed safe by the EPA, then you may want to consider installing a Radon mitigation system.

Now the real question, what are the radon levels in Daybreak like. Well I can not find the levels just for Daybreak but I did find the levels broken down by zip code. The average radon level for Salt Lake County is 4.2 pCi/L and the level in 84009 which incorporates Daybreak is 4.4 pCi/L, so its slightly above the County average (data provided by Utah Department of Environment March 2017). Here is the breakdown for 84009.

Total Tests: 161
Tests < 4 pCi/L: 94
Tests 4 to 10 pCi/L: 51
Tests: 10 to 20 pCi/L: 16
Max Reading: 19.1 pCi/L:
Average Reading: 4.4 pCi/L:

Given the above data approximately 42% of all homes tested in 84009 came in above the recommended safety level.

Here is the full Radon Levels Report issued by the Utah Department of Environment.

Please note that while some areas have generally higher radon levels than other areas, readings can change from home to home. One homes level maybe acceptable while the home next door could have high levels of radon, you can never tell.