Radon is an environmental threat

Chatham Health District Health educator Nancy McAuliffe discussed the dangers of radon and mitigation methods at the Cragin Library. Photos by Kevin Hotary.

Colorless and odorless, radon is a radioactive gas that results from the breakdown of radium, a radioactive element that is itself a decay product of uranium. Common in the soil, rocks and even in water throughout the U.S, radon is generally not a threat in the open air.  But when homes and other structures are built upon soil containing high concentrations of radon, the results can sometimes be deadly.

“It’s one of the most important environmental threats that we have today,” said Nancy McAuliffe, health educator for the Chatham Health District (www.chathamhealth.org/), which serves the towns of Colchester, East Haddam, East Hampton, Haddam, Hebron, Marlborough and Portland. She was at the Cragin Library last Wednesday, Jan. 18, to talk to residents about radon during National Radon Action Month and to provide free radon test kits, which went quickly in the standing-room-only crowd.

“I wasn’t expecting this many people,” said McAuliffe, but the size of the crowd just underscores the increasing awareness of and concern for this threat in the eyes of the general public. According to McAuliffe, there are more deaths every year in the U.S. resulting from radon exposure than result from drunk driving.

Radioactive materials harm individuals by releasing high-energy particles as they decay, she said. As a gas, radon can be breathed into the lungs, where these released high-energy alpha particles can penetrate cells and damage the cells' genetic material, sometimes causing those cells to multiply uncontrollably, resulting in lung cancer. According to the U.S. Surgeon General, only smoking causes more lung cancer deaths in the country than does prolonged radon exposure.  And if you smoke and are also exposed to radon, “The risk for lung cancer is more than doubled,” said McAuliffe.

For most people, the threat from radon exposure comes from living in a home built upon radon-rich soil. As the gas is released from the soil, it enters through crawl spaces and cracks in basement floors and in the foundation. If not ventilated, the gas can accumulate to dangerous levels. According to the EPA, radioactivity levels from radon should be below 4 picocuries per liter of air. Anything higher in a home should be remediated.

“We’ve had some homes come in from East Hampton that were around 60 or 70 [picocuries/liter],” said McAuliffe. “It is a concern in parts of Colchester.” Perhaps this is not too surprising, given the fact that all Connecticut shoreline counties are designated as Zone 1 for radon potential. Zone 1 areas have the highest possible potential for levels above 4 picocuries/liter. McAuliffe suggests testing your home at least every five years for radon levels.

“Just because it was okay 20 years ago, doesn’t mean that it’s okay now,” said McAuliffe. Testing involves nothing more than placing a test kit (the kits passed out by McAuliffe were canisters filled with activated charcoal) in the lowest possible level of your home, and leaving it undisturbed for a few days. Several labs and agencies will assay the kits for radon levels (a list of nationally-certified radon measurement and abatement professionals can be found at the Connecticut Department of Public Health Web site www.ct.gov/dph/cwp/view.asp?a=3140&q=387604#Lists_of_Professionals).

If your levels do turn out to be high, mitigation is fairly straightforward and relatively inexpensive, given the health benefits – generally around $2,000.

Colchester resident Tom Mills said that his radon level was around 45 picocuries/liter until he resealed cracks in his foundation and installed a pipe to vent radon gas with a fan to pull it out of the house, common mitigation methods.

“I’m running around 2 [picocuries/liter] now,” he said. Mills’ neighbor, Frank Zito, similarly lowered his home's radon level from the mid 40s to 1–2 picocuries/liter. He said that he now constantly analyzes his home's radon level using a digital monitor that he purchased for about $130.

It is also becoming increasingly common for new construction to be built with radon-resistant features, which adds less to the cost of the home than does the later installation of a mitigation system. Radon-resistant features include a layer of gravel below the slab floor to allow radon gas to flow away from the house, often through a pipe that vents above the roof line, as well as plastic sheeting and tight sealing of the lower level.

“We’re really pushing these systems in new houses,” said McAuliffe.

If you do find that you have a high radon level, “the next step is to test your water,” said McAuliffe, especially if you have a well-water system (public water systems are monitored for radon and are not generally high). Radon gas can escape from the water and be breathed in, particularly in the shower, she said. Radon mitigation in water typically costs a little more than home mitigation, between $1,500 and $5,000.

More information on the dangers of radon and how to reduce radon exposure can be found at www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/citguide.html#overview.