January a good month to remember the hazards of Radon gas

January is Radon Awareness Month and the staff of Fort Lupton-based Twin Peaks Inspections wants to offer some answers to frequently asked questions about Radon gas, courtesy of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Enviroment. Duane Younger, owner of Twin Peaks Inspections, is  ASHI Certified and can be reached at 720-685-3435. Information source: http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/hm/rad/radon/radonfaq.htm.

Question: What is radon and where does it come from?
Answer: Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas. It has no color, odor or taste and is chemically inert. It comes from the breakdown of uranium. As the uranium molecule decays to form stable lead, a process taking many, many years, it changes from one radioactive element to another in a sequence known as the Uranium Decay Cycle. Partway through this cycle, the element radium becomes radon which as a gas moves up through the soil to the atmosphere.

Question: Is radon a problem in Colorado?
Answer: Excessive radon levels have been found in all of the 50 states. In Colorado, approximately 50% of the homes have radon levels in excess of the EPA recommended action level of 4 picoCuries per liter (pCi/L).

Question: How can
radon damage my health?
Answer: Radon is estimated to cause about 21,000 lung cancer deaths per year. The Surgeon General has warned that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States today. Only smoking causes more lung cancer deaths.

Question: How is radon risk determined?
Answer: The risk factors for radon exposure were developed from epidemiological studies of underground miners exposed to radon. Because the studies collected data from human adult males rather than from animal subjects, they have a higher confidence level than is applied to toxicological studies.
    The Surgeon General, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Academy of Sciences, the American Medical Association, the American Lung Association and the World Health Organization have all identified indoor radon as a national health problem.

Question: How does
radon get into my home?
Answer: Radon moves from uranium-bearing granite deposits in the soil to the atmosphere because there is a lower concentration of radon in the atmosphere than in the soil. Your home is sited in its path and because the house is usually warmer than the surrounding soil, the air pressure is less and soil gases, including radon, move into the home. The most common routes are:
• Spaces between basement walls and slab
• Cracks in foundations and/or walls
• Openings around sump pumps and drains
• Construction joints and plumbing penetrations
• Crawl spaces
• Using well water with high radon concentrations

Question: My house is new (old) so it shouldn’t have a problem, right?
Answer: The age of a home is not a factor when it comes to whether excessive levels of radon are present.

Question: My neighbor tested and did not find a radon problem so my home should be OK, right?
Answer: False. Every home pulls air into it differently depending on the daily routines of the homeowner. Also, soils and geology underlying the foundation of a home may vary drastically from one home to another. We recommend ALL homes in Colorado be tested, regardless of surrounding results.

Question: How do I know if my home has a radon problem?
Answer: Test for radon.