Only a handful of days remain in January, but the month still demands the awareness and attention of a deadly killer. Each year thousands of people die from radon inducing lung cancer. More people die from lung cancer caused by radon than secondhand smoke, drunk driving, falls in the home, drowning or fires in the home.
Radon is the odorless, colorless gas emitting from the natural decay of uranium and radium in the soil around your home. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, “Radon has been found in elevated levels in homes in every state. No area of the country is free from risk. Indeed, two homes right next to each other can have vastly different radon levels. Just because your neighbor’s house does not have an elevated level of radon does not mean that your house will have a low radon level. The only way to know if your home is under the EPA action level of 4 pCi/L is to test.”
How do you know if you’re house has increased levels of radon? There are two ways to ways to find out. The first is to obtain a home radon testing kit, the second is to have an inspector, like myself, come in and do a thorough testing. If you know your home has levels of radon, the repairs aren’t too difficult to take on. Most homes can be fixed for about the same cost as other common home repairs, like painting or having a new hot water heater installed.
Don’t let radon testing go undone. It’s not a difficult process and will certainly give you peace of mind in the long run. Take time in these remaining days of radon awareness month to get a kit or get some testing done.