Radon

SCHNEEBERG, Germany -- Hans Haeussler dreamed of becoming a schoolteacher, but World War II got in the way. In 1942 he was drafted right out of high school into the Wehrmacht to fight for Nazi Germany. After the German defeat, he spent four years as a prisoner of war in the Soviet Union.Finally, in 1950, he returned to his home in the Erzgebirge, the "ore mountains" of Saxony in Soviet-occupied East Germany, hoping to pursue his goal. Instead, Mr. Haeussler and almost every other able-bodied man in the region were forced by the Soviets to work in the mines.

A dispute over invisible, but potentially dangerous, radon gas is unfolding in Howard County Circuit Court over a radon contractor's claim that county inspectors are not making home builders toe the line on required equipment. Paul V. Jennemann, a 79-year-old Ellicott City radon equipment contractor, filed a court action last month seeking to force county inspectors to do a better job of making builders properly install required radon abatement equipment in new homes. Jennemann said the filing, which names County Executive Ken Ulman and the County Council as defendants, follows years of arguing his point in letters and phone calls to county officials.

Radon levels at Crofton Middle School are normal -- despite calls from a distraught janitor warning of big problems -- according to a test completed by the county operations department this week.Crofton Middle, in the 2300 block of Davidsonville Road, is the only school in the county to have tested positive for radon.On Sept. 29, Michael W. Graham, the head janitor, made telephone calls to a number of school system employees warning about radon danger.The next day, Daniel A. La Hart, environmental program manager for Anne Arundel County schools, put 63 radon-sampling canisters in the school.

If you're buying a home, the last thing you want is an expensive surprise. Unfortunately, most of the things that can go wrong with a house tend to pack a powerful punch in the wallet. If you have to replace your hot water heater, expect to spend upward of $600. If you have to replace your furnace or central air conditioner, you could spend twice that or more. Even seemingly small problems, such as broken pipes, badly wired outlets or cracked paint, can cause a slow leak in your financial stability.

A dispute over invisible, but potentially dangerous, radon gas is unfolding in Howard County Circuit Court over a radon contractor's claim that county inspectors are not making home builders toe the line on required equipment. Paul V. Jennemann, a 79-year-old Ellicott City radon equipment contractor, filed a court action last month seeking to force county inspectors to do a better job of making builders properly install required radon abatement equipment in new homes. Jennemann said the filing, which names County Executive Ken Ulman and the County Council as defendants, follows years of arguing his point in letters and phone calls to county officials.

SOME PEOPLE look at a basement and see a dark, dank place to be avoided at all costs.Others see a gold mine of extra living space.Club basements, rec rooms -- whatever you call them, they're popular projects for a lot of homeowners. Basements traditionally are among the most underused spaces in the house.But before you buy the pool table or the wide-screen TV, you need to do a few things to make sure the basement will be a comfortable place.The first is to make sure that the basement is dry.Newer houses are built with drain tile that runs below the level of the floor slab all around the perimeter of the space.

Lung Association offers testing kit for radon in homeThe Maryland Chapter of the American Lung Association is offering a "do-it-yourself" home radon testing kit to state homeowners for $10 plus tax. Calls to area retailers found test kits going for $12.59 to $16.90.Radon is a colorless, odorless and tasteless radioactive gas produced by the natural decay of uranium, which is present in most rock and soil.Studies by the Environmental Protection Agency have identified radon exposure as the second leading cause of lung cancer.

JOHNS HOPKINSHome Builders give to children's centerMembers of the Home Builders Association of Maryland have donated $1,000 to the Johns Hopkins Children's Oncology Center last week from funds raised during a golf and tennis outing sponsored by the members.RTC Spanning three golf courses, the annual outing was the largest sporting event sponsored by the association.This year marked the first year that proceeds from the outing were raised for charity.The Home Builders Association of Maryland is a not-for-profit organization that provides governmental relations and educational opportunities.

The county has begun remediation measures on a planned storage facility and day-care center for county employees because several potentially hazardous substances have been detected in the building.Asbestos, lead paint and radon were found in an inspection of the former Kingdom Hall building on Greenwood Avenue in Westminster, a facility once used by a Jehovah's Witness congregation. The county purchased the building and 1.6 acres of surrounding property last spring for $500,000.Lead paint can cause brain damage if ingested.

Oliver North is not an American heroWhy is Oliver North looked upon as a hero? He admits to deceiving the American people and lying to their elected representatives. He admits to giving missiles and weapons to Iran which, at the time, held innocent Americans hostage and was an avowed enemy of the "Great Satan," the U.S. He further acknowledges subverting U.S. policy in Latin America.These acts are contrary to the will of the American people and the policy of the elected government. North has never been elected, by anyone, to any leadership position.

When Deb Sadler bought her home it opened a window to a new career. She had watched the home inspector look things over and wondered: Wouldn't it be fun to try this? Tired of the computer industry, she was ready for a change. So she took the required courses and passed the state licensing exam. "Then I did home inspections after my `day job' and on the weekends to supplement my income," said Sadler, who lives in Oak Point, Texas, and covers the northern part of Dallas-Fort Worth. Two years ago, she was laid off from the job she had kept for "that good, steady paycheck, insurance and benefits."

BOULDER, Mont. - I am writing this on my laptop, sitting at a table 85 feet below the ground in the Free Enterprise Radon Health Mine, chatting with Ted Kaddy and Bob Domgard, a couple of fellows who have driven 40 miles in the hope of improving their health by breathing radon gas. Yes, that radon gas - the stuff that hardware stores sell detectors for and that the Environmental Protection Agency says is associated with 15,000 to 22,000 deaths annually....

Ten million homes and 38 million Americans are at risk from dangerous levels of radon gas exposure, according to estimates from the American Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists. Yet local industry representatives say homebuyers - immersed in today's competitive, seller's market - are forgoing radon testing before settling the sale. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 21,000 Americans die of radon-induced lung cancer each year - a revised number that is 150 percent higher than the EPA's estimate in 1994.

Questions frequently arise when homebuyers encounter a radon reduction system. People are usually unfamiliar with them and are sometimes leery of their presence. A large number of radon reduction systems have been installed in the past 15 years, so they're not uncommon anymore. Still, the vast majority of houses do not have them, so most people know little or nothing about them. Although the systems are simple in design, questions arise because it is not immediately obvious how the systems work or whether they have significant drawbacks.

Property slated for a housing project at Fort Meade contains some hazardous materials but is suitable for redevelopment, according to environmental documents that the Army released yesterday. After initially declining to provide the reports to a review board and The Sun, Army officials released yesterday several studies conducted months ago on land that Fort Meade is leasing to a private company. The contractor plans to build about 3,000 houses for soldiers there. The documents confirm the presence of asbestos, radon and lead-based paint at the property on the post's north side.

A home seller wrote for advice about her concerns over the accuracy of a screening test for radon gas performed in her home. The test results indicated that an elevated level of the cancer-causing, radioactive gas was present. She stated she was skeptical of their validity because her home is newer and does not have a basement. A lot of myths surround the radon issue, and some of the most common misconceptions are addressed below. Myth: If my home has high radon, I would be able to tell.

The minute she saw the place, she loved it. A two-story 1920s wood frame house painted celadon green with a back yard and a brick fireplace. She grabbed it, not giving a moment's thought to the toxins that could lie hidden within.Lead lurking in layers of paint. Nasty asbestos in the basement. Invisible radon gas or excessive carbon monoxide. She hasn't yet gotten around to checking for the potentially hazardous electromagnetic fields around her color TV set or for possible radiation leakage from the microwave.

ALL IT TAKES is a few chilly nights to remind us that it won't be long before freezing temperatures move in for winter. So, before the wind chill heads into negative figures, now is the time to think about winterizing your house.The first thing to do is shut off exterior hose bibs. This is surprisingly easy to forget. Turn the faucet off on the inside and open it up on the outside. This will allow the water to drain out of the pipe and prevent it from freezing and possibly breaking the pipe.

The American Lung Association of Maryland is offering two "do-it-yourself" home radon-testing kits to Maryland homeowners. A short-term kit sells for $12 plus tax and a long-term kit sells for $22. With the short-term kit, homeowners test their indoor air with a sampler for four to seven days, then mail the materials for laboratory analysis. The long-term kit provides the opportunity to test indoor air for three months to a year, allowing for a more accurate reading. Kits may be purchased by check, Visa or MasterCard.

ALL IT TAKES is a few chilly nights to remind us that it won't be long before freezing temperatures move in for winter. So, before the wind chill heads into negative figures, now is the time to think about winterizing your house.The first thing to do is shut off exterior hose bibs. This is surprisingly easy to forget. Turn the faucet off on the inside and open it up on the outside. This will allow the water to drain out of the pipe and prevent it from freezing and possibly breaking the pipe.