Radon testing still extremely important in Pennsylvania homes for lung cancer prevention
POTTSTOWN, Pa. - January is National Radon Action Month, raising awareness of the colorless, odorless gas that is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S.
Radon is a radioactive gas that occurs naturally through the breakdown of uranium in soil and rocks. It can seep into homes through cracks in basements and foundations, then build up inside to concentrations many times the recommended level.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the American Lung Association are teaming up to spread the word and will hand out 8,000 free radon test kits. In a matter of two days, all the tests were claimed.
"Pennsylvania is probably the worst state for radon in the country," said Bob Lewis, Radon Program Manager at the PA DEP. "We have a wide distribution of radon problems north, south, east and west."
Lewis said Pennsylvania also has a lot of what he considers high-end data, which shows homes with between five times to 25 times the recommended EPA action level.
About 40 percent of Pennsylvania homes have radon levels above the EPA action level.
One out of eight tests came back with higher levels of radon in Philadelphia. In Lebanon County, 64 percent of tests came back with high levels of radon.
"You don’t need to wait until you buy or sell a house. It’s important to understand radon is a problem whether or not that is happening, and you could be exposed to very high levels that could be increasing your risk of lung cancer," said Kevin Steward, Director of Environmental Health at the American Lung Association. "There is nothing that will alert you whether radon is present is in a house at high levels. The only way to know is to do a radon test."
To test your home for Radon, you can get a free test from the American Lung Association and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, but those supplies are limited.
Radon test kits can also be purchased at the hardware store for as low as $10.
Leave the test kit in your basement or lowest level of your home for a few days, and then you mail it to a lab. The lab results costs about $15 plus postage.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection also has free follow up tests if your at-home test indicates a Radon level that's too high. There's more information about that at the bottom of The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's Radon page.
"We’re also encouraging school districts to test for radon. We’ve been working with districts for many years to try and get all of them tests. They all have not tested to this point, like all the homeowners have not tested," said Lewis.
Radon accounts for 21,000 deaths a year due to lung cancer, according to the EPA.
The DEP recommends radon testing every five years, if your home was tested previously with safe results.