Date Published: 07/12/2006 [Source]
You can't smell it, taste it or see it, so why worry about radon? Because it kills an estimated 21,000 people every year. Because your house might have dangerous levels. Because it costs only about $6 to find out. Radon is a gas produced when uranium that occurs naturally in soil or water breaks down. Indoors, it can build up to dangerous levels. Radon is the No. 1 cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers. If you smoke, radon adds considerably to your risk. Lung cancer is the only known risk from radon. Radon's effects don't show up for years, so it tends to be overlooked as a pollutant. The EPA has an "action level" of 4 picocuries per liter of air. A picocurie is a trillionth of a curie, a unit of radioactivity. The Environmental Protection Agency recommends acting to reduce levels that are between 2 and 4 picocuries. To find out if you have high radon levels there are Do-it-yourself kits that are available at hardware stores. You can also hire a professional. Look in the Yellow Pages under "Radon Detection and Removal Services." Radon comes in from the soil, so it can seep in through sump pumps, foundations, basements, cracks in walls and other openings. If you have bathroom fans, fireplaces and dryer vents that take air out of the house, you create the potential to increase the air coming up from the ground. But if you're in and out of the house all day or live in an old house that leaks air, it gets more ventilation. A process called remediation is recommended. That may include sealing cracks, covering sump pumps and adding vent systems. Costs may range from $500 to $2,000. Do-it-yourself kits are available. Experts recommend that you not use the same professional to test for radon and to fix problems, to prevent possible conflicts of interest.