42 Warren St - C of A application - radon mitigationFROM:William J. Durkin and Abby Elizabeth Conway
TO:Salem Historical Commission
DATE:September 8, 2019
RE:42 Warren Street - Request for Certificate of Appropriateness, Description of
Work Proposed
The owners of 42 Warren Street (the Property), William J. Durkin and Abby Elizabeth Conway
(the Owners), respectfully request a Certificate of Appropriateness to install an external radon
mitigation system. The Property is located in the McIntyre Historic District and subject to the
Salem Historical Commission Rules.
As the Commission is surely aware, radon is a colorless, odorless, naturally occurring
radioactive gas. It is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, behind only
smoking. In May 2019, the Owners retained MKC Associates, a home inspection firm, to 1
conduct a radon air test at the Property. The test found that the average level of radon in the
home was 4.8 pCi/L. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends that 2
homeowners take action to mitigate radon level where they exceed 4.0 pCi/L “as soon as
possible.” The Owners began occupying the Property in July 2019 and wish to reduce radon 3
levels in the home to acceptable levels.
Radon Diagnostic Services (RDS) of Andover, Massachusetts, inspected the Property in July
2019 and recommends the installation of an exterior radon mitigation system to decrease radon
levels in the home. According to RDS, an interior venting system is not possible because the 4
radon cannot be safely vented through the Property’s attic, which is partially finished living
space. The exterior system would entail the installation of a pipe exiting the left rear corner of
the Property basement to a radon fan. The fan and pipe exiting the basement would be located
behind a fence and would not be visible from a Public Way. The fan would blow air through a
three-inch schedule 40 PVC pipe that would run parallel to an existing white metal gutter in the
left rear corner of the Property. Consistent with EPA regulations, the exhaust pipe would rise
vertically and terminate above the roof line. The PVC exhaust pipe would be visible from
Warren Street, a Public Way. An aerial photo of the property is attached for reference.
The Owners are willing to take reasonable steps to reduce the visibility of the exhaust pipe,
such as painting it to match the color of the home or to take other reasonable measures that the
Commission suggests.
1 https://www.epa.gov/radon/health-risk-radon.
2 The MKC report is attached.
3 http://www.adph.org/radon/assets/surgeon_general_radon.pdf.
4 RDS’s proposal, which includes a schematic of the Property as well as examples of other exterior
systems, is attached.