Radon, It is know as the silent killer and for a good reason. It’s a odorless, colorless, radioactive gas that can enter into your home. Radon is produced through the break down of uranium in the soil which most of the time si located under homes foundations. It as well is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. Home owners and homebuyers should always test there homes for Radon. Studies do shows that most of Colorado’s counties are potential areas for high Radon. The EPA’s zone map of Colorado shows most of the counties in the Zone 1 levels. Which is the zone that the EPA recommends the homeowners to take action. Click here to go to the EPA’s Map of Colorado.
Because radon levels are influenced by a variety of factors—soil type and moisture, how “tight” the home is, type of heating and ventilation system, movement of air and groundwater, air pressure, and lifestyle behavior of the occupants—the only way to know if a home has elevated levels of radon is to test it. This table was pulled from an Artical about Radon In the Home Click here to go there.
| Table 1: Radon risk if you have never smoked (Developed by the EPA). | |||
| Radon Level |
If 1,000 people who never smoked were exposed to this level over a lifetime |
The risk of cancer from radon exposure compares to | WHAT TO DO |
| 20 pCi/L* | about 36 people could get lung cancer | 35 times the risk of drowning | Fix your home. |
| 10 pCi/L* | about 18 people could get lung cancer | 20 times the risk of dying in a home fire | Fix your home. |
| 8 pCi/L* | about 15 people could get lung cancer | 4 times the risk of dying ina fall | Fix your home. |
| 4 pCi/L* | about 7 people could get lung cancer | The risk of dying in a car crash. | Fix your home. |
| 2 pCi/L* | about 4 people could get lung cancer | The risk of dying of poison. | Consider fixing between 2 and 4 pCi/L |
| 1.3 pCi/L* | about 2 people could get lung cancer | Average indoor radon level. | (Reducing radon levels below 2 pCi/L is difficult.) |
| 0.4 pCi/L* | Average outdoor radon level. | (Reducing radon levels below 2 pCi/L is difficult.) |
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| *pCi/L: picocuries of radon per liter of air NOTE: If you are a former smoker, your risk may be higher. |
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