RICHMOND, Va. β A naturally occurring gas in your home could be putting your family at risk for lung cancer. January marks national Radon Action Month. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other health organizations are encouraging you to test your home for radon because this radioactive gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States.
"It's naturally produced by the decay of uranium," explained Matthew Ettinger, director of the office of radiological health. "It's in the soil, and it enters your home through like any other air does. It comes in through cracks in the foundations, windows, etc. It enters from the ground."
Ettinger explained there are several counties in Central Virginia that are at an elevated risk of having dangerous levels of radon, including Chesterfield, Colonial Heights, Petersburg, Powhatan, Goochland, Amelia and Nottoway.
The health risk is long-term and not immediate, as the danger is breathing in high levels of radon over an extended period of time.
But this dangerous gas can differ greatly over small areas. For example, you could have high levels of radon in your home while your neighbor has low levels.
This is something Blackstone resident Walter Mac Osborne understands all too well.
The former Blackstone Fire Chief tested his home over 20 years ago and found levels so high that he had to install a mitigation system to protect his family.
"This is oderless, colorless, you can't smell it, you don't know what's there, and you breathe it every day when you're in your home, your work, your business schools, lots of buildings, anywhere that you're exposed to this all day long, is something to be a concern of," said Osborne. "So it's scary, in a way."
If you have levels of radon above the amount that the EPA deems safe, there are several companies that can come install mitigation systems.
The VDH also offers a limited number of radon test kits for just $4.
Click here for more information.
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