Fix. Radon Mitigation.

There is no known "safe" level of radon, so any amount of radon can present some risk.  Because your risk is a function of time and the amount of exposure, your risk of developing lung cancer will be reduced by lowering the level of radon in your home.

The technique used to reduce radon levels in your home is based on the foundation type, not on the radon level. There are two primary techniques used to reduce indoor radon levels: active soil depressurization and ventilation.

Active Soil Depressurization.

The vast majority (approximately 90%) of radon that enters a home is from the underlying soil.  Pressure differentials cause radon-laden soil gases to be drawn through small openings in the foundation.  By applying a vacuum to the underlying soil that is greater in strength than the vacuum applied to the soil by the house, we can collect the radon from the soil before it has a chance to enter the indoor living space.

Active Soil Depressurization Techniques
Foundation Type	Reduction Method	Description
Crawl Space	Sub-Membrane Depressurization	Air is extracted from beneath a well-sealed plastic sheet laid on earthen areas.
Basement / Slab	Sub-Slab Depressurization	Vacuum is applied to one or more pits cut through the concrete slab.

Ventilation.

In a situation where a significant amount of radon is coming from building materials or diffusion through the concrete slab, applying a vacuum to the soil may have little to no beneficial effect.

Additional ventilation may be the most appropriate radon reduction method, especially if there are other indoor air quality concerns that could benefit from improved ventilation.  This technique brings additional fresh air into the home to pressurize the interior space and to dilute indoor radon levels.

Ventilation Techniques
Reduction Method	Description
Heat Recovery Ventilators	Interior air is exchanged with fresh outdoor air, diluting indoor radon and recovering the heat of exhausted air.
Crawl Space Depressurization	Air is exhausted from the crawl space before radon in the crawl  space can enter the living space above.
Basement Pressurization	Air from the upper floors is blown into the basement to pressurize it and to prevent entry of soil gases.
Building Pressurization	Additional air is provided through an HVAC system to pressurize the interior and make it resistant to soil gas entry.

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