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The gas caused more U.S. fatalities in 2014 than carbon monoxide, fires and handguns combined.
YOUNGSTOWN
As a killer, radon gas flies below the radar.
While cigarette smoking is by far the most-common cause of lung cancer in the United States, radon is the second-leading cause.
Scientists estimate that about 20,000 lung-cancer deaths per year in the nation are related to radon, according to the American Cancer Society.
To bring attention to the dangers of radon and to urge testing for the gas, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency declared January National Radon Action Month, and Gov. John Kasich issued a similar proclamation in Ohio.
According to the EPA, health agencies throughout the U.S. have joined forces to promote awareness of the leading cause of lung cancer for nonsmokers.
Further, the EPA said radon caused more American fatalities in 2014 than carbon monoxide, fires and handguns combined.
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that enters buildings from the surrounding soil. Elevated levels of radon have been found in homes in every county in Ohio, said the Ohio Department of Health.
One in 15 American homes contains high levels of radon, leaving millions of American unknowingly exposed to the gas at potentially dangerous levels, according to the EPA.
Radon levels are usually highest in the basement or crawl space because this level is closest to the soil or rock that is the source of the radon. Therefore, people who spend much of their time in basement rooms at home or at work have a greater risk for being exposed, ACS officials said.
Outdoors, radon generally disperses and does not reach high levels.
In a recent study, Harvard University ranks radon as American’s leading in-home hazard.
The answer to avoiding the hazard, EPA officials say, is for homeowners to test for radon and their homes, if necessary.
The American Lung Association, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Cancer Institute have declared radon a national health problem and encourage radon testing during the January awareness drive.
Any amount of radon carries some risk, even at or below the recommended action level. However, the risk of lung cancer increases with higher long-term average radon levels. Because it isn’t possible to reduce radon to zero, the best approach is to lower levels as much as possible. In Ohio, there are no regulations requiring that radon be reduced, so people must decide for themselves how much radon they feel is acceptable in their home, ODH said.
Radon testing can be done by homeowners by purchasing relatively inexpensive home-detection kits or by hiring a professional to do the testing.
Radon levels in the air are measured by units of radioactivity per volume of air. The most common measure used is picocuries per liter (pCi/L).
Outdoors, radon generally disperses and does not reach high levels. Average levels of radon outdoors, according to the EPA, are about 0.4 pCi/L. According to the EPA, the average indoor radon level is about 1.3 pCi/L, The agency urged people to take action to lower radon levels in the home if the level is 4.0 pCi/L or higher.
The ODH conducts a licensing program, including radon laboratories, and recommends that people purchase a test kit that was manufactured by, and will be analyzed by, an Ohio licensed laboratory. Contact the ODH Radon Program at 1-800-523-4439 for information on where to obtain low-cost radon test kits.
The EPA’s national radon helpline is 800-557-2366. Its web site is www.epa.gov, and the radon home page is http://www.epa.gov/radon/index.html.