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National
Radon Action Week, begun in 1990, is held
the second week of October every year
 Warm
air rises. When this happens in your home it creates a vacuum
in the lower areas. Since nature hates vacuum, air or possible
radon or other soil gases seep in from the soil around and under
the house and comes in through cracks, doors and windows on the
lower levels. The radon level in your home depends on the geology
under and near your home. The only way to know for sure and to
protect your family from radon is to test your home.
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Asthma Goldfish | Radon | Second Hand Smoke
Scientists
Are Certain About Radon Risks
Radon is a
radioactive gas and comes from the natural breakdown of uranium
in soil, rock and water and typically moves up through the ground
through cracks and other holes in the foundation of homes, schools
and other buildings. You can't see radon. And you can't smell
it or taste it but scientists are more certain about radon risks
than risks from most other cancer causing substances.
Radon is estimated
to cause many thousands of deaths each year. That's because when
you breathe air containing radon, you can get lung cancer.
The Surgeon
General has warned that radon is the second leading cause of lung
cancer in the United States today. Only smoking causes more lung
cancer deaths.
Your chance
of getting lung cancer from radon depends on how much radon is
in your home, the amount of time you spend in your home and whether
you are a smoker or have ever smoked.
What are the risks?
For a smoker,
if the radon level in your home is equal to the average outdoor
radon level, over a lifetime about 3 people out of 1,000 could
get lung cancer from radon. As radon levels in your home rise
so do the risks. At 10 times the average outdoor radon level,
the risk of cancer from radon exposure to smokers is 29 out of
1,000.
Don't rely
on a neighbor's test results. The only way to know if your home
has a radon problem is to test it. Initial testing is easy and
should only take a few minutes of your time.
While house construction can affect radon levels, any home new or old, well-sealed
or drafty, with or without basements could have a radon problem
and should be tested periodically.
Testing is
easy and only takes a few minutes of time. Reducing radon can
be as easy as sealing cracks in floors and walls or adding pipes
and fans to remove radon gas from below the concrete floor and
foundation (and crawl spaces) before it can enter the home.
Higher risk for radon during winter months
The entire
state of Wyoming is located within the Environmental Protection
Agency's radon risk zone and the threat from the colorless, odorless
gas is highest during winter.
You
can view our Radon results map to see how your county tested.
Print out our Radon Coloring
page
In Sheridan, Teton, Weston and Lincoln counties, more than half of the homes
tested needed immediate action to reduce high levels of radon.
"It's because of the granite," said Debi Nelson, the State Radon
Coordinator at the Department of Public Health. "It's one
of the soil types where we see more radon."
The gas concentrates
in basements and on the first and second floors when there is
little or no air circulation. Indoor radon levels peak during
the winter, when the frozen ground keeps the gas from escaping
into the air and when there is less air circulation indoors.
The highest
indoor radon level in Wyoming was measured several years ago in
a new house located between Cheyenne and Laramie. The test showed
about 275 picocuries per liter in the basement of that home. The
EPA recommends taking action for radon levels above 4 picocuries
per liter. A person exposed to 25 picocuries for 18 hours a day
is likely to die within 10 years, according to the agency.
Radon , second-leading
cause of lung cancer, attaches to dust particles which in turn
lodge in the lungs. Nelson said ventilation systems can be installed
to rid the air of radon, but the best thing to do is to test before
building.
"There
are radon-resistant construction techniques," she said. "These
systems often work without the use of a fan and work much better
than if you have to retrofit them." An anti-radon system
adds about $800 to $1,000 to the cost of a new home, compared
to $1,200 to $1,500 for a retrofitted system.
Contact Information for Wyoming residents:
Steve Melia
State Radon Program
Qwest Building, Suite 510,
6101 Yellowstone Road
Cheyenne, WY 82002
Ph: 307-777-6015
Fax: 307-777-5402
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