January is Radon Action Month
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
A radon test kit; via wikimedia commons
"One great resolution is to get your home tested for radon," says Curtis Cude, manager of the Oregon Health Authority's Environmental Public Health Surveillance Program.
January is Radon Action Month. Radon is a naturally occurring cancer-causing gas. It is found almost everywhere, but at different levels. It has no color. You can't see it. You can't smell it. Radon usually moves up through the ground and into the air. It can come into your house through holes or cracks in the foundation.
"The only way to know if you have high levels of radon is to test," Cude says. "Most importantly, if you do have high levels, it can be fixed."
There are different types of tests. You can learn more about short-term and long-term tests and where areas of low to high risk for high radon levels are around the state by going to Oregon Radon Awareness Program's website at http://www.healthoregon.org/radon. ;
A winter radon test is likely to show the highest seasonal levels. Testing for radon in the winter is recommended because:
-- A closed house keeps radon from getting into outside air. In the winter, we tend to keep our windows and doors closed. There is less ventilation because our house is closed up tight. Radon is not able to dilute as fast and can build up in the home. This results in higher radon concentrations.
-- The stack or chimney effect is increased during the heating season. When indoor air is warmer than outside air, it rises up and exits the house. The warm air that is no longer in the house has to be replaced. Soil gases from under the house tend to replace that air. Your house essentially becomes a small vacuum working to equalize the air through cracks and holes. The warmer the house and the colder it is outside, the greater the "stack" effect is at drawing radon into the home.
-- More radon can come into the house. Radon comes from the soil underneath the house. In winter months, the ground around our home can freeze. This creates another layer for radon to try and get through. Because less radon is being released around the home, the radon build-up and the house's air pressure act as a vacuum. This may result in higher radon concentrations. Rainy periods also can create a cap on the soil.
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