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Radon….that scary, silent, odorless gas that, according the EPA, is the number-one cause of lung cancer among non-smokers in the US, and the second leading cause of lung cancer overall. LEED for Homes takes the precautionary route by requiring radon-resistant construction in high-risk areas as a prerequisite; you can get one point for radon-resistant construction in moderate-risk areas. Hennepin County, where we live, is rated as Zone 1 — a high-risk area.
Radon-resistant construction techniques involve five components: “a gas-permeable layer, heavy-guage plastic sheeting, sealing and caulking all penetrations through the concrete slab, and a vent pipe to exhaust gases from under the home.” Our builders knew about this requirement and designed and built to these specifications. But we do not get any points for this, as we are in EPA Radon Zone 1. If we lived in Anoka County, which is just to next door to the north and is rated as moderate-risk, we would get one point for using the same construction strategies. But that’s Michele Bachmann territory. I’m content to lose the point and be in Minneapolis!