Test kits available to detect radon levels in the home

January was National Radon Action Month and there were several community meetings scheduled throughout the Valley to educate the public on this dangerous gas. Radon occurs naturally in the air outdoors but becomes dangerous when it gets trapped in buildings. When we build our homes, schools, offices, etc. to be more airtight, we inadvertently increase the risk of trapping radon in our living and working areas. Radon comes from naturally decaying uranium and radium underground. If it is in the well water, the gas is released when faucets are running in the home, school or office. Once the gas is trapped in a building, it decays into radioactive particles that accumulate in the lungs.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that radon causes more than 20,000 lung cancer deaths per year, the second-leading cause of lung cancer after smoking and the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. Radon-caused lung cancer kills more people than second-hand smoke, drunken driving, drowning or home fires. Radon is considered a Class A carcinogen, the same as arsenic, asbestos and benzene. A smoker living in a home with high levels of radon is at a higher risk for developing radon-induced lung cancer. Unfortunately, people haven't taken this danger seriously since the gas is odorless, tasteless, and invisible.

The EPA recommends that you take action to fix your home if the radon levels are 4picocuries (pCi/L) or higher. This is approximately 35 times as much radiation as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission would allow if that home's residents were standing next to the fence at a radioactive waste site. Douglas County homes tested between February 2007 and Sept. 30, 2008, revealed 78 out of 204 were above the limit. This is the highest level in the state according to the Nevada Radon Report. Several hundred home test kits were given away in January at the community meetings but the results have not been released.

I bought a short term test kit for $10 at Home Depot and performed the test last month in our home. Pro-Lab suggests that the test vials be placed about six inches apart, at least 10 feet away from a wood stove, and not near an exit door or open window. The goal is to choose a place that is about three feet above the floor so it can evaluate the air that you are breathing when you are lying in bed or sitting down. I left the vials open for four days, then mailed them in for analysis with the $35 processing fee, and included an e-mail address so the results could be sent quicker. They posted the results within 36 hours of receipt of the vials. One vial registered 1.2 pCi/L and the other showed a level of .9 pCi/L. The average radon level for our home was calculated at 1.1 pCi/L.

It is estimated that one in 15 homes in the U.S. have elevated levels. Radon can be found in any structure, regardless of age and neighboring homes can have varying levels. Since it is difficult to predict which homes have excess radon, it's a good idea to check your home. For more information on radon and testing, you can contact the Douglas County Cooperative Extension at 782-9960 or the Nevada hotline at 1-(888)radon10.

You can also find additional suggestions for clearing the air and fixing high radon levels at these resources or to www.epa.gov/radon

 n Contact Gail Davis at Ruhenstroth Ramblings@yahoo.com or 265-1947.