| 1/8/2007 9:12:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article | Radon poses serious health risk
by Jason Starr
Mail Staff Writer
Salida resident Dick Michaud discovered the dangers of radon in homes the most tragic of ways.
His good friend - an otherwise healthy, non-smoking, running enthusiast from Colorado Springs - died of lung cancer in 1988. The cause of his cancer was determined to be an extremely high level of radon gas in his home.
"It really was, for me, a wake-up call," Michaud said. "The fact that his house was so high really set a bell off in my head."
Michaud was one of about 25 citizens who attended an informational meeting about residential radon gas conducted by Kurt Jones of the local Colorado State University Extension office Thursday in Salida.
The meeting was part of National Radon Action Month, which continues throughout January.
Jones distributed free home radon testing kits and encouraged all residents in the area to test their homes and mitigate the presence of radon if it exists at significant levels.
The home of Michaud's friend in Colorado Springs was tested after his diagnosis and found to have a radon level of 900 picoCuries per liter of air. The Environmental Protection Agency considers a level of four picoCuries per liter dangerous enough to take action.
Deaths like this are preventable, the EPA noted in a press release. The key is testing.
The CSU Extension office at the Chaffee County Fairgrounds in Poncha Springs is offering free testing kits this month. The kits are also available by calling the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment at (303) 692-3420.
Colorado is a high-risk state for radon because of the presence of uranium ore in the ground and Chaffee County is given the highest risk rating for counties by the EPA.
"It's all over the United States and particularly here in Chaffee County and Park County," Jones said. "The homes in our area have the highest probability of having radon gas."
Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer in the country among non-smokers, according to the EPA. It is responsible for approximately 21,000 lung cancer deaths annually in the United States.
Breathing the odorless, tasteless and colorless gas over a period of time can kill or mutate cells in the lining of the lungs, causing the disease.
"The higher level of radon in the home, the shorter the amount of time it takes to cause problems," Jones said.
Radon seeps up from naturally occurring uranium ore in the ground, first converting to radium, then to radon. It migrates through foundations and cracks in the outer surfaces of homes.
If testing reveals radon levels more than four picoCuries per liter, mitigation is recommended. While mitigation scams exist, Jones said, certified radon mitigators are available in Cañon City, Pueblo and Colorado Springs. The extension office has a list of reputable contractors in the area.
A suction system can be installed in a home that pulls air from below the foundation and releases it outside. The cost of this type of system can range from $800 to $1,500.
Citizens who attended Thursday's meeting asked Jones about the effectiveness of increasing ventilation or placing large leaf plants in a home to deal with radon. Jones said these can be effective on a short-term basis but will not improve the underlying problem.
"I don't want you leaving here thinking house plants are the answer," he said.
Jones distributed and demonstrated the free testing kits. Testing involves placing a spongy material at least 20 inches above the floor and away from windows and doors.
The sponge collects air in the home, which is tested by sending the sample to a lab through the mail. Testing is recommended every two to three years.
January is Radon Action Month because it is a time of year when air in homes is more static and people spend more time indoors. Awareness of the presence of radon tends to ebb and flow, Jones said, but it seems to be on the rise as incidents of lung cancer in non-smokers increases.
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