Wayne Soper LLC Home Inspection Services

Fairfield County, 2008 -- Consumers preparing to buy or sell a home, as well as existing homeowners, now have the opportunity to conduct an even more thorough inspection of a property that will help them protect their health and investment. Wayne Soper LLC, a premier provider of home inspection services in the region, announces it now offers the EDR Neighborhood Environmental Report™ among its property inspection services. Developed exclusively for home buyers and sellers, the EDR Neighborhood Environmental Report™ identifies potential environmental risks such as leaking underground tanks, landfills and toxic waste sites on or near a property that may threaten a family’s health or the value of their investment.

Developed by Environmental Data Resources, Inc. (EDR), the leading national provider of environmental risk information, the comprehensive, easy to read report is being offered to meet growing demand for pre-purchase information for real estate agents, loan brokers, real estate professionals, and home-buyers and sellers in the U.S. The reports are generated from the largest collection of local, state, federal and proprietary environmental records in the U.S. and provide important information on known and potential contamination that exists on or in the vicinity of a property.

Wayne Soper LLC is very excited to work with EDR to provide this valuable service to real estate professionals, home-buyers and home sellers,While the reports most often give a property” a clean bill of health, real estate professionals and home-buyers are always much better off uncovering any potential environmental issues up front, as opposed to retroactively addressing a problem after a sale has been completed. As an EDR-Certified home inspector, I am able to provide the follow up assistance and guidance consumers need to resolve any issues the report may reveal,

Neighborhood Environmental Reports cover the entire U.S. and provide records of contamination that could cause serious health problems as well as property devaluation. Homes that are contaminated often show no visible signs of the dangers they pose to residents through toxic air, water or soil problems. Examples of issues the report screens for include leaking underground storage tanks, landfills, defense sites, hazardous waste sites, Superfund sites and former meth-amphetamine ("meth") drug laboratories.

"For nearly 20 years, environmental information has been a part of commercial real estate transactions. EDR has now created a report for consumers in response to the growing trend of residential buyers wanting or even expecting increasing amounts of information before making important decisions; whether purchasing a car, making a health-related decision or investing in a home," said Robert Barber, CEO of EDR. "Part of this 'due diligence' trend is an increasing demand for expertly prepared environmental information."

About EDR

Environmental Data Resources Inc. (EDR) is the leading national provider of environmental information services in the United States. As the innovator of the most comprehensive database of environmental and historical land use information, the company provides reports, subscription services and other solutions to help its customers assess and manage environmental risk. EDR customers include commercial and residential real estate professionals, environmental consultants, lenders, corporations, attorneys and government agencies. Established in 1991, EDR is headquartered in Milford, Connecticut with regional offices located throughout the United States. For more information, visit www.edrnet.com/residential.

Granite countertop NY Times article concerning Radon & CT DPH response

What's Lurking in Your Countertop?
By KATE MURPHY
Published: July 24, 2008
SHORTLY before Lynn Sugarman of Teaneck, N.J., bought her summer home in Lake George, N.Y., two years ago, a routine inspection revealed it had elevated levels of radon, a radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer. So she called a radon measurement and mitigation technician to find the source.

Tony Cenicola/The New York Times
TESTING Reports of granite emitting high levels of radon and radiation are increasing.
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Nathaniel Brooks for The New York Times
DETECTION Using devices like the Geiger counter and the radiation detection instrument Stanley Liebert measures the radiation and radon emanating from granite like that in Lynn Sugarman's kitchen counters.
"He went from room to room," said Dr. Sugarman, a pediatrician. But he stopped in his tracks in the kitchen, which had richly grained cream, brown and burgundy granite countertops. His Geiger counter indicated that the granite was emitting radiation at levels 10 times higher than those he had measured elsewhere in the house.
"My first thought was, my pregnant daughter was coming for the weekend," Dr. Sugarman said. When the technician told her to keep her daughter several feet from the countertops just to be safe, she said, "I had them ripped out that very day," and sent to the state Department of Health for analysis. The granite, it turned out, contained high levels of uranium, which is not only radioactive but releases radon gas as it decays. "The health risk to me and my family was probably small," Dr. Sugarman said, "but I felt it was an unnecessary risk."
As the popularity of granite countertops has grown in the last decade - demand for them has increased tenfold, according to the Marble Institute of America, a trade group representing granite fabricators - so have the types of granite available. For example, one source, Graniteland (graniteland.com) offers more than 900 kinds of granite from 63 countries. And with increased sales volume and variety, there have been more reports of "hot" or potentially hazardous countertops, particularly among the more exotic and striated varieties from Brazil and Namibia.
"It's not that all granite is dangerous," said Stanley Liebert, the quality assurance director at CMT Laboratories in Clifton Park, N.Y., who took radiation measurements at Dr. Sugarman's house. "But I've seen a few that might heat up your Cheerios a little."
Allegations that granite countertops may emit dangerous levels of radon and radiation have been raised periodically over the past decade, mostly by makers and distributors of competing countertop materials. The Marble Institute of America has said such claims are "ludicrous" because although granite is known to contain uranium and other radioactive materials like thorium and potassium, the amounts in countertops are not enough to pose a health threat.
Indeed, health physicists and radiation experts agree that most granite countertops emit radiation and radon at extremely low levels. They say these emissions are insignificant compared with so-called background radiation that is constantly raining down from outer space or seeping up from the earth's crust, not to mention emanating from manmade sources like X-rays, luminous watches and smoke detectors.
But with increasing regularity in recent months, the Environmental Protection Agency has been receiving calls from radon inspectors as well as from concerned homeowners about granite countertops with radiation measurements several times above background levels. "We've been hearing from people all over the country concerned about high readings," said Lou Witt, a program analyst with the agency's Indoor Environments Division.
Last month, Suzanne Zick, who lives in Magnolia, Tex., a small town northwest of Houston, called the E.P.A. and her state's health department to find out what she should do about the salmon-colored granite she had installed in her foyer a year and a half ago. A geology instructor at a community college, she realized belatedly that it could contain radioactive material and had it tested. The technician sent her a report indicating that the granite was emitting low to moderately high levels of both radon and radiation, depending on where along the stone the measurement was taken.
"I don't really know what the numbers are telling me about my risk," Ms. Zick said. "I don't want to tear it out, but I don't want cancer either."
The E.P.A. recommends taking action if radon gas levels in the home exceeds 4 picocuries per liter of air (a measure of radioactive emission); about the same risk for cancer as smoking a half a pack of cigarettes per day. In Dr. Sugarman's kitchen, the readings were 100 picocuries per liter. In her basement, where radon readings are expected to be higher because the gas usually seeps into homes from decaying uranium underground, the readings were 6 picocuries per liter.
The average person is subjected to radiation from natural and manmade sources at an annual level of 360 millirem (a measure of energy absorbed by the body), according to government agencies like the E.P.A. and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The limit of additional exposure set by the commission for people living near nuclear reactors is 100 millirem per year. To put this in perspective, passengers get 3 millirem of cosmic radiation on a flight from New York to Los Angeles.
A "hot" granite countertop like Dr. Sugarman's might add a fraction of a millirem per hour and that is if you were a few inches from it or touching it the entire time.
Nevertheless, Mr. Witt said, "There is no known safe level of radon or radiation." Moreover, he said, scientists agree that "any exposure increases your health risk." A granite countertop that emits an extremely high level of radiation, as a small number of commercially available samples have in recent tests, could conceivably expose body parts that were in close proximity to it for two hours a day to a localized dose of 100 millirem over just a few months.

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Nathaniel Brooks for The New York Times
A radiation detection instrument.

Nathaniel Brooks for The New York Times
A Geiger counter.
David J. Brenner, director of the Center for Radiological Research at Columbia University in New York, said the cancer risk from granite countertops, even those emitting radiation above background levels, is "on the order of one in a million." Being struck by lightning is more likely. Nonetheless, Dr. Brenner said, "It makes sense. If you can choose another counter that doesn't elevate your risk, however slightly, why wouldn't you?"
Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking and is considered especially dangerous to smokers, whose lungs are already compromised. Children and developing fetuses are vulnerable to radiation, which can cause other forms of cancer. Mr. Witt said the E.P.A. is not studying health risks associated with granite countertops because of a "lack of resources."
The Marble Institute of America plans to develop a testing protocol for granite. "We want to reassure the public that their granite countertops are safe," Jim Hogan, the group's president, said earlier this month "We know the vast majority of granites are safe, but there are some new exotic varieties coming in now that we've never seen before, and we need to use sound science to evaluate them."
Research scientists at Rice University in Houston and at the New York State Department of Health are currently conducting studies of granite widely used in kitchen counters. William J. Llope, a professor of physics at Rice, said his preliminary results show that of the 55 samples he has collected from nearby fabricators and wholesalers, all of which emit radiation at higher-than-background levels, a handful have tested at levels 100 times or more above background.
Personal injury lawyers are already advertising on the Web for clients who think they may have been injured by countertops. "I think it will be like the mold litigation a few years back, where some cases were legitimate and a whole lot were not," said Ernest P. Chiodo, a physician and lawyer in Detroit who specializes in toxic tort law. His kitchen counters are granite, he said, "but I don't spend much time in the kitchen."
As for Dr. Sugarman, the contractor of the house she bought in Lake George paid for the removal of her "hot" countertops. She replaced them with another type of granite. "But I had them tested first," she said.
Where to Find Tests and Testers
TO find a certified technician to determine whether radiation or radon is emanating from a granite countertop, homeowners can contact the American Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists (aarst.org). Testing costs between $100 to $300.
Information on certified technicians and do-it-yourself radon testing kits is available from the Environmental Protection Agency's Web site at epa.gov/radon, as well as from state or regional indoor air environment offices, which can be found at epa.gov/iaq/whereyoulive.html. Kits test for radon, not radiation, and cost $20 to $30. They are sold at hardware stores and online.
Please see below regarding radon in granite.

Lynn Hudak
CT Department of Public Health - Radon Program
From: Provenzano, Francesca
Sent: Tuesday, July 29, 2008 8:36 AM
To:
Subject: RE: Granite Radon Testing
Hello Everyone,

I apologize for missing out on the opportunity last week to respond. I haven't heard too much from EPA on testing protocols, so here is the CT-specific opinion on how to approach communicating with clients, and possibly testing granite countertops.

We too have been receiving several telephone calls from concerned citizens on granite countertops emitting radiation/radon into their living space. Here's our response and approach. And yes, I really do tell our callers this:
1) The amount of radiation emitted from countertops is minimal (with evidently the exception of some red/brown colored granite countertops, as cited in the NY Times article). I still have some questions on how the radon and radiation was evaluated in the home cited in the article - it's all questionable to me. In approaching the testing of homes, most importantly, please don't lose your credibility as radon professionals and/or home inspectors. Really, the implication I see is that when one is testing a home for radon, the person should NOT test in an area where there are granite countertops. According to EPA protocols, testing should not occur in bathrooms or kitchens - where granite countertops are most likely used because of atypical air movement (ventilation hoods) and moisture control and more recently....granite countertops. Yes, I realize that this isn't answering your question immediately. I still think it's important to recognize that radon emitted from granite is nothing new. It just seems that when the NY Times puts the information into an article, rather than the National Academy of Sciences, it has more credibility with the public (sarcasm intended).
2) I do realize that you will be receiving calls from people who want their countertops tested. Parlay this into an opportunity to educate clients on radon risk, and conduct a full home evaluation for radon sources. So, now you've got one more testing location...if the client still wants you to test after you explain risks. I'm leery of feeding into hysteria, but many people have been adamant about testing that location. I just hope we are all able to spin this into an opportunity to reduce people's exposure to radon in their homes from typical sources - radon in air and water. If a client can't be talked out of testing their countertops, then here's what I would do. I'd perform a full house radon evaluation to determine all potential sources of radon in the home. This can only be done through extensive testing. That's ultimately what the person is looking for - some means to determine whether or not countertops can be implicated in contributing to indoor radon levels that are unsafe. That means lots of testing.

I'd test on two floors (basement and living area) + test the water + on the countertop away from hoods, stovetops, and appliances such as refrigerators and microwaves (don't tent the location). What the client should be able to conclude from the results is that the radon being emitted from the countertop is not contributing to the home's burden of radon gas. By testing in all of these locations, it will paint a nice picture of exposure and risk. Don't only test countertops, however. That's just not really going to provide any conclusive information for a client for the person to make an informed decision about reducing risk.

Imagine if you test only the countertop and the result comes back elevated - no surprise. We've all known for some time that test devices should not be located on granitic surfaces because of their interference. However, does exposure to a canister one inch above a countertop translate into exposure for a human? How many hours a day do people sniff their countertops or lay face down on them? Hopefully, not too many! What would an elevated result from a countertop lead to?? The person will pull out $5,000-10,000 worth of granite and not even significantly reduce their risk of being exposed to radon at all. That would be criminal (literally).

If the radon levels in any of the locations are elevated, the traditional methods of treatment should follow - subslab depressurization or GAC/aeration of the water. After treatment has occurred, re-testing in the basement + living area+ countertop should yield acceptable levels. If it doesn't, then you'd know that the countertop is an issue. I'm 99.9% sure that countertops won't be an issue. You are all aware that countertops pose minimal risk to people in their homes - please convey this.

I hope this helps.

Sincerely,
Francesca Provenzano, M.P.H., C.H.E.S., R.S.
Health Program Supervisor
Radon Program
Connecticut Department of Public Health
450 Capitol Avenue, MS# 51RAD
Hartford, CT 06134-0308

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