I hate to open up a holiday week with a post like this…but this information is too important.

If you don’t smoke, you don’t get lung cancer, right? Apparently not.  If you have radon in your home, you just might.  Scientists believe that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer.

Radon comes from the natural radioactive decay of radium and uranium found in the soil beneath a house, school or building.  The amount of radon in the soil depends on complex soil chemistry that varies from house to house. About 1 in 15 houses in the U.S. is estimated to have elevated radon levels.

How do I get my house/apartment tested?

The EPA and the Surgeon General recommend testing all homes below the third floor for radon. The EPA also recommends testing in schools.  You can do the test one of two ways: a short-term test or a long-term test. The short-term test is in your home for 2 days to 90 days, depending on which device you get.  This is the way to get fast results. However, it doesn’t tell you what the year-round average radon level is. Radon levels do vary day to day.  Long-term tests are in your home for more than 90 days. The EPA recommends doing a short-term test initially and if your levels are high (above 4 pCi/L) to take a long-term test.

What do I do if I have a high level of radon?

If the radon levels are high enough that you are concerned, you can install something called a soil suction randon reductions system.  This is a vent pipe system and fan which pulls radon from beneath the house and vents it to the outside.  There are a few other proven methods of reducing the radon levels too. The average cost of a system is $1,200.

If you want more information you can call the EPA’s hotline at 1-800-SOS-RADON.  They can also send you a list of radon contractors.  Or go to the EPA website, click on your state and find recommended radon contractors that way.

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