Requires the state fire prevention and building code council to implement rules and regulations requiring the use of radon-resistant features in new home construction

1 Co-sponsor

• John L. Sampson

BILL NUMBER:S1162

Title of bill

An act requiring the state fire prevention and building code council to implement rules and regulations regarding radon-resistant features in newly constructed homes

Purpose

To require new home builders to use radon resistant features when building new homes.

Summary of provisions

Section 1 directs the state fire prevention and building code council to develop and implement rules and regulations concerning the use of radon resistant building features in new home construction.

Justification

Radon is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas which is omitted from the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water. This gas typically moves through the ground and seeps into homes through tiny cracks or holes in the foundation. Any home, new or old can have a radon problem, and homes across the country have been found to have high levels of radon. In 2005, the Surgeon General of the United States issued a Health Advisory warning Americans about the health risk of exposure to radon in indoor air. Recent studies done by the EPA have found that nearly lout of every 15 homes in the United States has an unsafe level of radon. Radon has been proven to cause many health related problems, and is now the second leading cause of lung cancer and is estimated to account for more than 20,000 deaths per year.

Banks require that a home inspection be done by a licensed home inspector prior to approving a mortgage for an existing home sale, and part of that inspection is a radon test. Many people who build new homes have owned homes before, and may assume that some type 'of radon testing is done by the builder, however there are no such requirements for radon inspections for new home mortgages. Because it takes time for radon to penetrate into the home, testing for radon in a newly constructed home would be ineffective, Therefore, the easiest and most cost effective way to ensure that radon never becomes a problem, is to take preventative measures in the new home construction process. When these steps are employed during the building process, it costs as little as a few hundred dollars; as opposed to having to vent out the house later on, which can cost thousands. Standards and recommendations for the use of radon resistant features in building new homes have already been developed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

Legislative history

2009/2010 - S.401/A.1033 Remained in the Senate Committee on Housing, Construction and Community Development and the Assembly Committee on Governmental Operations 2007/2008 - S.717/A.9669 Remained in the

Senate Committee on Housing, Construction and Community Development and the Assembly Committee on Governmental Operations 2005/2006 - S.4607 Remained in the Senate Committee on Housing, Construction and Community Development

Fiscal implications

None.

Effective date

Immediately.