Official urges Radon testing
By Larry Hurrle
Argus Observer
Saturday, August 22, 2009 11:23 PM PDT
PAYETTE—It’s colorless, odorless and tasteless.
Yet radon can be a serious threat when it comes to dangerous levels of exposure.
Radon is a radioactive gas that is found naturally in the soil and is present in all locations, including all 44 counties in Idaho.
Jim Faust, indoor environment program manager for the Bureau of Community and Environmental Health with the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, was in Payette County last week to urge people to have their homes tested for radon.
“Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer, the first leading cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers,” Faust said. “Radon is found in every county in Idaho. It can be high levels in one home, and low in an adjacent home. We haven’t been able to figure it out, yet.”
Faust encouraged Payette County residents to test their home for radon gas. He said a free test kit is available to all residents by simply logging on to www.DrHomeAir.com and clicking on the Idaho Radon Program.
Because radon gas occurs naturally in the soil, he said the basement or the first floor is the best place to test. By following the directions on the kit, residents can have their homes tested. After testing, residents should send the kit to the address listed on the package to find out the levels of radon gas in their home.
“If the levels of radon are higher than Environmental Protection Agency specifications, we can show people how to reduce it,” Faust said.
Faust said, of the nearly 2,500 households in Payette County, only 67 have been tested for radon. That number, he said, falls well below the 37 percent of households statewide that have been tested for the dangerous gas.
Radon gas is measured in picoCuries per liter, or pCi/L, of air. Payette, Washington and Gem counties are currently in the 2 to 4 pCi/L level, based on average radon test results reported since 1990. High radon levels are present in every region of the state, Faust said, and residents should not be complacent if a county shows low levels of the gas. The 2 to 4 pCi/L level is a moderate one, according to statistics from Health and Welfare.
According to statistics from the EPA, based on 1,000 people, homes with levels of radon at the 2 pCi/L or less can expect four of those people to get lung cancer in nonsmokers, and 32 people could contract cancer if they are smokers. If the level is 4 pCi/L, seven nonsmokers in 1,000 could contract lung cancer, while 62 smokers in 1,000 could contract lung cancer.
At 10 pCi/L, 18 nonsmoker could develop lung cancer, while 150 smokers run the risk of getting lung cancer.
Faust said the best time to test a home for radon gas is in October, when the weather begins to cool.
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