A home inspection (bedek bayit) is one of the most important steps to take before buying a house or apartment, and it should include a comprehensive radiation test: cellular radiation, electrical radiation and radon gas.
Testing for radon gas
Radon is a gas produced by the decay of radium 226, found in varying concentrations in every type of ground. It is hard to detect without a professional test by a home inspection engineer: radon is toxic at high doses, and it is odorless, tasteless and colorless, so it takes proper equipment to find it. Radon can enter your home by rising from the ground or from the building materials themselves, which contain it in varying amounts.
The risk of a high radon emission from the walls is greatest in the safe room (mamad), because its concrete walls contain more radon than ordinary walls. Poor ventilation, common in safe rooms, raises the risk of radon reaching a toxic concentration there, which is why a radiation test by a home inspection engineer matters before you buy.
The danger is mainly in ground-floor houses, ground-floor apartments and basements; apartments on high floors face little real risk of dangerous radon buildup.
Cellular radiation
The other radiation risk worth checking before buying an apartment is cellular radiation. High-power cellular antennas have gone up everywhere in recent years, including in the middle of dense residential neighborhoods, so even an apartment in a well-established area can carry a real radiation risk. It is worth hiring a specialist to find such hazards before you buy, rather than fighting the authorities afterward.
The effect of cellular radiation on the human body is still not fully understood, but studies have already shown that heavy exposure can harm reproduction and the brain itself. We all want good phone reception, but no one would choose it over their health, which is why it matters that the new apartment you are about to invest in is not in a spot exposed to heavy radiation at all times.
Most people tend to ignore the radiation question and skip testing before buying an apartment, house, office or even a dental clinic doing implant work. Part of the reason is that cellular radiation is still relatively new: the antennas have existed for under twenty years, and at today's high concentrations for only a few years, so few serious health cases have been documented so far.
That the cases are not yet documented does not mean the risk is not real. It is worth developing awareness of the issue and starting with a radiation test in your own area, or wherever you are considering buying.
That awareness, together with ordering a home inspection service, is likely to serve both your health and your peace of mind.
The engineers of Arad Bedek Bayit, led by building engineer Ron Arad, whom courts appoint as their own expert on construction defects. The company has been inspecting apartments and buildings since 2001. Engineer Ron Arad · More about the company