By: Kathy Hubbard
Jackie is a 73 year old cancer survivor. I found her story on the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention’s website because I was looking for information about the fact that January is Radon Awareness month. Here’s what she said:
“I always was one that was big on exercising and eating right,” Jackie said on a CDC video. “So, my health was perfect. I never had the flu in my life. I got one cold, maybe a year.”
Jackie was a singer and at some point she found that she couldn’t hold a note as long as she normally could. She couldn’t figure out what was wrong. She never smoked a cigarette in her life. She made a visit to her healthcare provider and was diagnosed with lung cancer. Fortunately found early, she had surgery and spent the next seven months recuperating.
“Once I was able to go back out again, I went to a meeting, and there was a gentleman there who was a home inspector who said, ‘Did you ever hear of radon?’ I can’t explain it to you, but for some reason I immediately knew that was it.”
And she was right. The CDC estimates that radon is the cause of 21,000 lung-cancer related deaths each year, which makes it the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking cigarettes. So you know, inhaling second-hand smoke comes in third.
The National Center for Environmental Health explains, “Radon comes naturally from rocks and dirt in the ground. There’s always some radon in the air around us. The problem is when radon gas from underneath a home leaks in through cracks or gaps. Too much of it can build up inside.”
Most often found in lower floors, radon can be anywhere in any building. The Environment Protection Agency says, “Any home, school or building can have high levels of radon, including new and old homes, well-sealed and drafty homes, and homes with or without basements.” They estimate that one out of fifteen homes have high radon levels.
Radon is colorless and odorless. It’s a radioactive substance, which means it emits radiation. Radiation can damage your cells, consequently cancer. Although studies have been inconclusive, radon exposure may increase your risk of other cancers or health conditions as well.
Radon is measured in picocuries per liter of air (pCi/L), an indicator of radioactivity. The average indoor level in the U.S. is about 1.3 pCi/L and outdoors is 0.4 pCI/L. The EPA and the U.S. Surgeon General recommend fixing homes with radon levels at or above 4.0 pCi/L.
The CDC’s website also tells a story about an employee named Carol who works in environment health. She tested her house only to find it was right at the 4.0 pCi/L level.
“However, I didn’t entirely grasp what these radon levels meant in terms of health,” she said. “I decided to retest my home since I had done some other repair work to my home over the past few years. I was surprised that my radon levels were now above 10 pCi/L in my basement.”
She said she was amazed to find out that 10 pCi/L is equal to roughly 500 chest x-rays per year or about 20 cigarettes per day. She immediately called a professional to mitigate the radon in her home.
And before we talk about mitigation, let’s talk about testing. This is one instance I won’t recommend you go to your primary healthcare provider because there’s no test for radon inhalation. Instead, I’ll encourage you to test your home right now and every two years hence.
Home tests can be purchased at any hardware store. The cost varies from around ten dollars for a one time test to around $150 for a detector. However, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare will send you a free test if you go to their website, www.healthtools.dhw.idaho.gov.
Then, if you need mitigation, there are a few companies who specialize in mitigation systems that meet EPA guidelines for radon removal. You can Google them. You’ll definitely need a professional.
“Knowing my home is safer for my family and that I’m no longer being exposed to high radon levels makes me feel much better,” Carol said. “We are no longer breathing in radioactive material that can harm our lungs. Don’t wait – mitigate.”
Kathy Hubbard was a charter member of Bonner General Health Foundation. She can be reached at [email protected]. This article was written for publication in the Bonner County Daily Bee on January 21, 2025.