January is National Radon Action Month. The American Lung Association in New York is urging everyone to test their homes.
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas emitted from the ground that is odorless, tasteless and colorless, and can enter a home through cracks in floors, basement walls, foundations and other openings. Radon can be present at high levels inside homes, schools and other buildings. It is responsible for an estimated 21,000 lung cancer deaths every year and is the leading cause of lung cancer in people who have never smoked.
Trevor Summerfield is Director of Advocacy for the Lung Association. "The state of lung cancer report that we release every year reveals that is it's detected at high levels in about nearly 14% of homes in New York state. I know radon isn't first and foremost when it comes to people's minds. But it's really important to test your home. To really get that message out there because it is one of those things that again, it's people just don't think about. And you see this research come out year after year in the reports that we do. It's just one of those common sense things you can do is is an individual in your home to protect yourself and your family," Summerfield said.
Dr. Albert Rizzo is the Chief Medical Officer for the American Lung Association. He says radon mitigation is usually easy and not very costly.
"Because radon is a gas emanating from the soil, the rocks, it gets trapped in areas in our home using the lower areas, the basement areas," Rizzo explained. "So if the radon level is high in those areas, it's a matter of putting in proper ventilation. Sometimes this means windows or venting pipes, and also sealing up any obvious cracks in the foundation where radon can leak in. So it is something that can be done usually without too much cost, the testing runs between $15 to $30, you can get a kit on Amazon. And there are many states that have free tests are available as well. But it's an easy test to do. And the mitigation usually is fairly cost effective, especially if you consider the consequences if you don't get tested and don't get it corrected."
Summerfield says radon levels between 13 and 14% are common in homes in surrounding states as well.
"One of the questions we get a lot is, 'Hey, we're here in the Northeast, right? We're here in Albany, some of the homes are older, does this impact us more?' Radon can impact any home. And that's important to notice. So anybody that's out there, listening to this, you should test your home yearly for radon. Again, it's very easy to do. Cost effective. And again, it won't just save lives, but also livelihoods as well, because you don't want people living with cancer. And again, we know this is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in lung cancer in the United States. So take some time, look at your home, go out there, buy that kit, do your testing, and see if you need to take steps to mitigate that radon in your home," said Summerfield.
Summerfield adds if you do detect high levels of radon in your home, reach out to professional mitigation services.
