January is National Radon Action Month
Photo: Grace Cary/gettyimages
Do you know about radon? It’s an invisible, odorless, radioactive gas that can seep into your basement or crawl space.
It’s also the second leading cause of lung cancer after cigarette smoking, according to the National Safety Council.
How does it get into homes?
“It comes from the natural decay of uranium that is found in nearly all soils,” the Environmental Protection Agency says. “It typically moves up through the ground to the air above and into your home through cracks and other holes in the foundation. Your home traps radon inside, where it can build up.”
The only way to find out if it’s in your home is to test for it. “About 1 in 15 homes in the United States has radon levels at or above the EPA action level,” the council says, citing data from the National Cancer Institute.
If you don’t want to hire a professional tester, there are two types of tests you can do yourself to determine the radon level in your home: a short-term test and a long-term test – each of which has a testing kit you can purchase at a local hardware store or online. (The EPA can help.)
January is National Radon Action Month.
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