Experts: Test homes for radon

With new test results showing one out of four homes in Nevada with elevated levels of radon, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension officials are urging all homeowners to have their homes tested for the cancer-causing gas. As of June 30, 43 homes in Clark County showed elevated levels of radon of the 559 tested.

Susan Howe, program director for University of Nevada Cooperative Extension’s radon education program, said more than 4,000 homes were tested in Nevada last year — thanks in large part to the more than 4,550 free test kits distributed by UNCE during National Radon Action Month last January.

Although the Nevada State Health Division conducted a radon survey in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the cooperative extension’s kit-distribution efforts have resulted in thousands of additional tests in homes throughout the state. The data from those more than 5,268 tests shows elevated levels of radon were found in 25.2 percent of all homes tested statewide.

Radon is an odorless, colorless, radioactive gas emanating naturally from the soil. It enters a home through foundation cracks, plumbing and utility openings, and becomes a health risk when trapped inside. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates 21,000 people in the U.S. die each year from lung cancer caused by radon exposure — more than secondhand smoke, drunken driving, falls in the home, drowning or home fires.

Not everyone exposed to radon will get lung cancer, but the greater the amount of radon and the longer the exposure, the greater the risk of developing lung cancer. The EPA has established an “action level” of 4 picoCuries per liter of air, Howe said. Homes that exceed that level can be retrofitted with an inexpensive radon reduction system by a qualified contractor to correct the problem.

Howe said she is hoping more Nevadans will have their homes tested. The best time to test is when the weather is cool and windows in the house are closed. Oct. 18-24 is Radon Action Week.

Radon can enter any home — old or new, well-sealed or drafty. Homes with basements, slab on grade, crawl spaces or no visible foundation cracks are susceptible. Buildings other than homes can also have radon concerns (such as commercial buildings, schools, apartments, etc.).

UNCE’s radon education program offers educational programs and literature to Nevadans to educate citizens about the radon health risk. For more information, visit www.unce.unr.edu/radon.

If your group would like a program presentation, contact Megan Long at the radon hot line, 1-888-RADON10 to reserve a date.

Information courtesy University of Nevada Cooperative Extension