Many of us are unaware of a silent killer entering our home from below- a silent killer that is responsible for over 20,000 lung cancer deaths per year in the United States. After cigarette smoking, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in smokers and the leading cause in non-smokers.
Radon is a gas without taste, odor, or color that forms when naturally occurring uranium in soil and rocks breaks down and turns into radon gas. It is found all over the United States, and you can only know if your home is safe if it is individually tested. Levels over 4.0 pCi/L should prompt mitigation, and mitigation should be considered even for levels between 2 and 4.0 pCi/L. I myself had elevated radon levels in my home and had to mitigate them by having a fan activated.
It is not mandatory to test for radon in houses in the United States. Laws around schools vary, and mitigation of elevated radon levels is often not required. The EPA estimates that nearly one in five schools has radon levels above the action level of 4 pCi/L, which is sobering. I imagine it is not required because mitigation of radon can sometimes be expensive. I’m not sure this is wise considering that radon kills more people in the US each year than drunk driving, and it may be cost-effective to put supports in place so that those homes and schools with fewer resources can afford radon mitigation.
On the podcast today, I talked to Curtis Cude of the Radon Awareness Program at the Oregon Health Authority. Think you’re protected because your neighbor has low radon or you’re in new construction? What does it mean to have radon resistant construction? Does that mean you don’t need to test your home? Listen to the podcast today to find out more about how you can protect yourself, your home, and your community.
If you smoke or live in a house with someone who smokes, it is particularly important that you quit and check your house for radon, as the combination of inhaling smoke and radon can be particularly deadly
Learn more about radon at the EPA and the American Lung Association websites below.
Want to take action?
1- At home- make sure your home has been tested for radon. Test yourself if you aren’t sure. Order a kit from $15-$25 (no affiliate relationships, I promise), and test in winter with doors and windows closed
2- At school- find out whether your school has been tested for radon and whether the level is above 2 pCi/L (consider action) or above 4 pCi/L (action definitely advised)
3- Consider contacting your elected representative to express your concern about the high health costs of radon. Diagnosing and treating lung cancer is expensive, not to mention the devastation it can cause an individual or their family. It is likely worth supporting programs to help people test and mitigate their homes. It certainly seems a wise idea to ensure that our children are not breathing radon at school.
4- Consider donating to the American Lung Association.
Do you live in Oregon? You may be able to get a free test kit if you are in the ZIP code being evaluated by the Radon Awareness Program (targeting ZIP codes with fewer than 20 radon test results). Check your ZIP code here and e-mail radon.program@dhsoha.state.or.us to receive instructions on how to get a free test kit for a free test kit while supplies last.
Reference:
A citizen’s guide to radon – From the EPA, also includes numbers for radon hotlines in both Spanish and English as well as data for images above
American Lung Association Radon site– Also includes information on obtaining test kits in the state of Oregon from ALA Oregon.
EPA Radon– Main EPA website regarding radon
EPA Radon Zones– source of radon zone map
SOS Radon site- Partnership with University of Kansas and the Environmental Protection Agency, with general information on the costs of mitigating radon, can also order short and long-term test kits for $15 to $25. Also has information in Spanish, including hotline numbers.
