RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — January is National Radon Action Month, and the American Lung Association is urging everyone to test their homes for radon.
According to reports from the American Lung Association’s State of Lung Cancer, one in four Virginia homes detected abnormally high levels of radon. With radon being the second-leading cause of lung cancer, experts are encouraging Virginians to take action by testing their home’s radon levels.
Radon is a natural gas deriving from the ground’s material decay. Seeping through the smallest of floor cracks and wall divides, radon can be difficult to detect as it’s invisible to the senses. Second only to smoking, radon claims an estimated 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year.
“Radon in homes is more common than you think,” said Kevin Stewart, Director of Environmental Health for the Lung Association. “In fact, high levels of radioactive radon gas have been found in every state but most places in the country remain undertested, so this isn’t something that should be taken lightly. Exposure to radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States … Testing for radon is the only way to know if the air in your home is safe. The good news is that it is easy to test. Do-it-yourself test kits are simple to use and inexpensive.”
If high levels of radon are suspected or detected, people are urged to call radon professionals to install a radon mitigation system. This will extract radon from the space and ventilate it back outside.
Visit the Virginia Department of Health’s website for the next steps in acquiring a certified radon professional.
