Radon: A Health Hazard With a Simple Solution
By Sarah Burkett, M.A.T.
Radon is a cancer-causing, natural radioactive gas that you can’t see, smell, or taste. Radon comes from the natural (radioactive) breakdown of uranium in soil, rock, and water and gets into the air you breathe. Its presence in your home can pose a danger to your family’s health. Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among nonsmokers. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in America, and it claims about 20,000 lives annually. One of every 15 homes in the United States is estimated to have elevated radon levels.
Protect your family. Test your home for radon – it’s easy and inexpensive. The amount of radon in the air is measured in “picocuries per liter of air” or pCi/L. Fix your home if you have a radon level of 4 pCi/L or more. The only way to tell if a building has elevated radon levels is to test. The Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Surgeon General recommend that all homes be tested. You can test your home yourself or hire a professional. Test kits are available through the mail, in hardware stores, and from home improvement stores.
You can fix a radon problem. Radon-reduction systems work and are not expensive. Some radon-reduction systems can reduce radon levels in your home by up to 99 percent. Even high levels can be reduced to acceptable levels.
For more information about radon, visit:
- EPA radon homepage: www.epa.gov/radon/
- EPA’s “A Citizen’s Guide to Radon: The Guide to Protecting Yourself and Your Family From Radon”: www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/citguide.html
- EPA radon publications: www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/index.html
- Virginia radon contacts: www.epa.gov/radon/states/virginia.html
- National Radon Hotline: (800) 767-7236
- National Radon Helpline: (800) 557-2366
- National Radon Fix-It Line: (800) 644-6999
Sarah Burkett is a Family and Consumer Sciences Extension agent in Pulaski County.
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