Date Published: 08/27/2006 [Source]
But in Colorado, it's all around. Plenty of skeptics scoff at it, but experts say you shouldn't ignore it.
Radon, a colorless, odorless, radioactive gas, is considered the second-leading cause of lung cancer, behind only tobacco smoke.
Colorado has some of the highest radon levels in the country, with 52 of 64 counties labeled "Zone 1" — areas with high potential for the radioactive gas. Nearly half of the homes tested for radon last year in the state were at or above a level considered a health danger by the EPA.
Colorado also has minimal regulations com- pared with some other states. And although some Colorado communities have decided to do something about radon, Colorado Springs is not among them.
Colorado's only radon regulation requires that schools test for the gas. But there's no requirement for schools to fix problems or conduct follow-up tests. Results must simply be kept on file should an inspector or the public want to see them. Many schools in El Paso County haven't been tested in more than 15 years.
In El Paso County, radon concentrations tend to be higher in homes west of Interstate 25, although lofty readings have been recorded in other pockets across the county, according to a ZIP code analysis provided to The Gazette by AirChek, a North Carolina radon test kit manufacturer that has data on nearly 37,000 tests in Colorado. AirChek's data show even higher average readings in Teller County.
Results from more than 2,500 other tests analyzed at a UCCS lab for the most part mirrored the AirChek data.
Some states have taken tough approaches to radon, requiring that radon testers and mitigators be certified or commissioning health studies. New Jersey requires radon-prevention features in all homes in "Tier 1" areas — those with high potential for the gas.
Radon is formed by the breakdown of uranium in soil and rock. Because buildings act like a vacuum against the earth, radon is sucked inside through cracks or holes in foundations. Readings are typically highest in basement and lowlevel rooms, and concentrations may rise in winter when less fresh air enters homes.
The surgeon general has declared radonthe second-leading cause of lung cancer, and the EPA classifies radon as a "Group A carcinogen," along with substances like asbestos and arsenic.
Still, some dismiss the notion that radon is dangerous. Others even tout the radioactive gas as beneficial. Several "radon caves" in Montana draw visitors from around the nation who believe that breathing the gas eases chronic pain and boosts the immune system.
RESISTANCE TO RULES
Fort Collins has jumped far ahead of such discussions. It took up the radon issue in the early 1990s by first encouraging people to test their homes. In 2004, it adopted an ordinance requiring radon-reduction systems in all new singlefamily homes and duplexes.
Aspen also requires a radon mitigation system in all new homes. Fort Lupton had a rule but rescinded it at the urging of builders.
Installing a radon-reduction system during construction costs about $500; fixing a radon problem in an existing home costs about double that — and sometimes much more.
The EPA is collecting a list of builders nationwide that are installing passive radon-reduction systems in new homes. Jalbert said the idea is to hold the list up as an example to others.
Passive radon systems, in which radon from under a home is naturally sucked up a pipe and vented outside, can cut the gas levels by half. Radon can be further reduced by adding fans to the systems.
Because building codes in El Paso County don't require radon systems, the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department does not track which builders, if any, routinely install them.
INVISIBLE RISK
Doubts linger in the minds of many because they don't notice radon, and its effects aren't immediately tangible.
And many people have never heard of radon. Kelley, radon coordinator for the state Health Department, said half the people she meets at fairs and home-and-garden shows have no idea what radon is.
Burkhart has been studying radon since 1986. He said it can take years of exposure — two decades, even — for radon to cause lung cancer. And he has an explanation as to why the lung cancer rate is lower in a high radon state like Colorado than in other states: Newcomers make up much of the population, and the state as a whole has fewer smokers. But he said he has no doubt a casecontrolled study like others done in the nation would show a correlation between radon and lung cancer.
Burkhart and others cite an analysis of seven North American studies published in the journal Epidemiology in March 2005 that found the odds for lung cancer increase with residential radon exposure. The analysis included a five-year study in Iowa that tracked more than 1,000 women who lived in the same home for at least 20 years.
Studies also are showing that more nonsmoking women are being diagnosed with lung cancer, although both radon and genetics have been cited as possible contributors.
According to the most recent estimates from the American Lung Association, there were 2,546 cases of lung cancer in Colorado in 2002; 306 of the cases — about 12 percent — were in El Paso County. About 60 percent of people with lung cancer die within a year of being diagnosed.
By CARY LEIDER VOGRIN - THE GAZETTE