Real estate professionals and home sellers in Illinois have a new tool to help them meet state legal requirements regarding radon in homes. A three-minute video developed by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and the American Lung Association in Illinois (ALAIL) is now available to ensure home buyers receive information about radon as required by the Illinois Radon Awareness Act.
The act, which went into effect Jan. 1, 2008, requires home sellers to provide anyone buying a home, condominium or other residential property in Illinois with information about indoor radon exposure and the fact that radon is the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers and the second leading cause overall.
The law doesn’t require homes be tested for radon prior to the sale or that radon remediation work be conducted if test results show high levels of radon. However, if a radon test has been conducted on the home, those results must be provided to the buyer.
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that can seep into homes from the soil beneath the foundation. It’s estimated more than 1,100 people in Illinois develop radon-related lung cancer each year, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recognizes radon as the leading cause of home-related deaths in the U.S.
“With more than 100,000 home purchases each year in Illinois, the Radon Awareness Act has significantly increased public awareness of radon hazards and how that risk can be reduced through installation of a radon reduction system,” said IEMA Director James K. Joseph. “This video is a quick, simple way for real estate agents and home sellers to provide this important required information.”
The video, “Homebuyer’s Guide: What you need to know about radon and your new home,” is available on the IEMA website atwww.radon.illinois.gov and on the ALAIL website at www.healthhouse.org. Additional information about radon is also available on those websites.
“We spend a majority of time in our homes and since radon is the leading cause of death in the home, it’s important to know what levels are present,” said Angela Tin, Vice President Environmental Health of the American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest.
January was proclaimed Radon Action Month in Illinois by Governor Bruce Rauner to encourage residents to test their homes for radon.
