Say “Good Riddance” to Radon, Regarding Women, Winter 2005

Regarding Women

Say “Good Riddance” to Radon

Warning: A tasteless, colorless, and odorless radioactive gas called radon could be silently risking your family’s health. The inhalation of radon causes more than 20,000 lung cancer deaths each year. As a matter of fact, only smoking is responsible for more lung cancer fatalities. But you can lower your odds of developing lung cancer by lessening radon levels—even if you’ve been exposed to high radon levels for a long time.

The natural breakdown of uranium in the soil, rocks, and water releases radon into the air. It then seeps into buildings through cracks or holes in the foundation.

Since homes on the same block can have very different radon levels, don’t be reassured by your neighbor’s low radon levels. It also doesn’t matter whether you have a basement, whether your home’s old or new, or whether it’s sealed or drafty. The only way to tell if your own radon level’s in the danger range is to get your home tested.

Fortunately, that’s easy to do. The simplest and cheapest way: Buy a radon test kit through the mail or at a hardware or home-improvement store. If you’re selling or buying a home, you may need to hire a qualified tester to do the job.

Radon from soil poses a bigger risk than radon from water. But if testing reveals excessive radon in the air, and you get your water from a well, it’s a good idea to have your water tested, too.

Possible fixes for high radon levels depend on the design of your home. But they could include sealing cracks in floors and walls or installing special pipes or fans. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), radon reduction costs anywhere between $800 and $2,500. It’s worth every penny.

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Your state radon office can give you a list of qualified radon testers. To find out how to get in touch with this office, contact the EPA by calling their toll-free number, 1-800-438-4318, or via the Internet at www.epa.gov/iaq/contacts.html.

The editorial content for this article was taken from the print version of Regarding Women. Click here to sign up for future editions of Regarding Women.


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