Is radon dangerous? How do you know if you have radon in your home?
by 
James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.
I just assumed everyone knew what radon gas was and why it is bad for you. Recently I was talking to a very smart, educated woman. I forget the context of the conversation, but she told me she had never heard of radon or that it can cause cancer. Viola, blog post idea. So here goes.
For starters, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer, behind cigarettes.
It’s the colorless, odorless gas breakdown from the radioactive rock uranium. It seeps into your house from ground up. Actually, it’s in the air all over the place, but at low, safer levels. Investigators first noticed its danger, risk of lung cancer, in uranium miners who were exposed to high levels.
At present the EPA recommends keeping the average level in your house below 4 pCi/L. You can check this level with a monitor or have someone do it for you. If your level is too high, you can fix the problem in several ways such as sealing cracks in the basement and putting in a ventilation system designed to get rid of it. We have that in our house. They call it mitigating the radon. Discover how to find a good, reliable radon mitigation contractor in your area at the EPA website.
Although the risk of radon is higher in some regions, like mine, it has been found in every state. Overall, one in 15 homes have levels of 4 or above. You can easily buy a radon detection kit for $20 to $30 at your local hardware store. The instructions are easy. In fact, January is National Radon Action month and you can go to the EPA website for more information, including ways to get a free detection kit. Go ahead. Do it, get it out of the way, then one less worry.
Have you already done it?
Doctors and business owners: Send customized issues of James Hubbard’s My Family Doctor to your customers or patients. E-mail publisher-at-familydoctormag.com for details.
February 2nd, 2009 at 11:07 am
Radon is one of those dangers that people seem to overlook. Our county puts out a radon map of the area to provide information for homeowners and perspective home buyers.
Great information, as usual, Dr. Hubbard!
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February 2nd, 2009 at 12:01 pm
Thanks.
A real estate agent told me, “You can do something about it but a lot of people just ignore it.”
Not good advice
February 2nd, 2009 at 2:02 pm
I certainly am fully aware of radon and it’s health risks, but I haven’t had my house tested. I’m a bit surprised that it wasn’t required by my insurance company when we moved to granite central. So, I’m off to see about this free detection kit. One less worry to cross off of the list!
February 2nd, 2009 at 2:16 pm
Radon was a popular issue 10-15 years ago then it faded from public view. Thanks for the reminder. Radon mitigation sounds expensive. Before I purchase my next home, I think I’ll test if first for radon, if they’ll let me.
Steve Parker, M.D.s last blog post..“Doc, I Hardly Eat Anything And I Still Can’t Lose Weight!”
February 2nd, 2009 at 3:46 pm
Cathy, It is worth the trouble.
thanks
February 2nd, 2009 at 5:19 pm
Most new homes in the county that I reside in, come with a passive unit and a testing unit. A god reminder. Thank you!
February 2nd, 2009 at 9:00 pm
Heh… I didn’t know it was called that. Interesting. Am going to look into this some more. I love how you keep bringing attention to issues that we normally really neglect to address!
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February 2nd, 2009 at 11:16 pm
Thanks Mark, Good to know.
February 2nd, 2009 at 11:16 pm
Sagan, Check it out.
Glad you like the info
February 3rd, 2009 at 7:23 am
Thank you for your post about the hazards of radon. If only more Doctors would educate their patients about the hazards of living with elevated radon levels. There will be a radon medical forum on May 7, 2009 in Oakbrook, Illinois. Details are available at http://www.ienconnect.com/enviro. The forum offers 6 hours of Category 1 CME credit.
February 3rd, 2009 at 12:58 pm
Thanks for the information on the forum.
February 4th, 2009 at 9:39 am
Your readers may be interested in this morning’s story out of Wisconsin. A 40 year old never smoking woman with lung cancer and elevated radon levels in her home.
http://www.nbc26.com/Global/story.asp?S=9784211
February 4th, 2009 at 12:40 pm
Great example. Thanks
March 6th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
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