Newtowners Urged To Test For Radon, Second Leading Cause Of Lung Cancer

By John Voket

The Newtown Health District staff and Director Donna Culbert are working with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH), and The American Lung Association of Connecticut as part of a nationwide campaign to educate Americans about the dangers of radon exposure and to encourage them to take action to protect their homes and families.

“January is National Radon Action Month, which is a good time to remind all Newtown residents that radon is present at elevated levels in about one out of three Connecticut homes,” Ms Culbert said Tuesday.

Radon is a naturally occurring, invisible, odorless, tasteless gas that is dispersed in outdoor air, but which can reach harmful levels when trapped in buildings. Scientists have long been concerned about the health risk of radon, but never before has there been such overwhelming proof that exposure to elevated levels of radon causes lung cancer in humans.

The US Environmental Protection Agency estimates that radon is responsible for more than 20,000 lung cancer deaths per year. Radon is the leading second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States after smoking, and the leading cause of lung cancer among nonsmokers.

According to the state DPH, radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that is a product of the uranium decay chain. It can readily move through voids in rocks and soils, and enter homes with other soil gases, through cracks and other openings in building foundations.

Because the building is enclosed, the radon gas can accumulate to high concentrations. Long-term exposure to high levels of radon gas increases the risk of developing lung cancer. The DPH recommends that all homes be tested for radon gas and to mitigate homes when airborne radon is equal to or greater than 4 pCi/L.

Another way radon can enter a building is through well water. Because radon is not highly soluble in water, it can out-gas to the indoor air environment during domestic water use (e.g., showering, clothes washing).

There is presently no federal or state standard for radon in public drinking water supplies.

A homeowner’s first priority should be to test for radon in the air. If your home is served by a private well, you should also test for radon in the water. If the average of two or more waterborne radon tests is equal to or greater than 5,000 pCi/L, then the homeowner should consider treating the well water.

The EPA and DPH recognize that typically, the greater health risks associated with radon are through the inhalation of radon gas and its decay products.

“But you can protect yourself and your family,” Ms Culbert said. “Testing homes for elevated levels of radon is simple and inexpensive.”

The Newtown Health District has a limited number of free radon test kits, or radon test kits can be purchased for $12 from the American Lung Association of Connecticut through the agency’s website, www.alact.org.

“Radon problems can be fixed by qualified contractors for a cost similar to that of many common home repairs such as painting or having a new water heater installed,” Ms Culbert said. “We have found related repairs can range anywhere from $800 to about $2,500.”

The Newtown Health District urges residents to take action during January — National Radon Action Month — by testing their homes for radon.

“Radon poses a serious threat to our community’s health but there is a straightforward solution. Just come in to the Health District, or go to the ALAC website and order a testing kit,” Ms Culbert said.

For more information on radon, radon testing and mitigation, and radon-resistant new construction, call the Newtown Health District at 270-4291 or visit its website at www.newtown-ct.gov. Then, click on Town Departments, click on the Health link and then click on Radon, or visit EPA’s web site at www.epa.gov/radon.