Minnesota homes are susceptible to the deadly radon gas, despite a lack of awareness across the state. More than 40 percent of Minnesota homes that have been tested for deadly radon gas in the past 13 years, have been discovered to have elevated levels – that is, levels well over the recommended limit as set by the US EPA.
Deadly Radon Gas is the Second Leading Cause of Lung Cancer in the U.S.
Image by Michael Hicks
Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, the first in non-smokers. More than 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year can be attributed to deadly radon gas exposure. The risk for lung cancer is even higher in residents who have been exposed to both deadly radon gas and tobacco smoke.
Even though Minnesota has a remarkably high deadly radon gas risk, there are no mandatory testing laws for residences, schools, or day care centers. This also means that disclosure about the problem is rather hush-hush during a real estate transaction – which directly results in most residents being oblivious to the issue.
Andrew Gilbert, outreach coordinator for the state Health Department’s radon program says that radon is a serious problem, that most need to be made aware of. He believes that a radon test should be commonplace for every real estate transaction in the state.
“The bottom line is if you live in Minnesota you are at risk for radon. You’re going down a checklist of things to take care of. This is just one more thing that you can do to protect yourself.”
A Deadly Radon Gas Story a Little Closer to Home
In September of 2012, Wes and Mary Anne Bry were prepared to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary with their three daughters. Unfortunately, Wes was diagnosed with lung cancer putting a damper in their celebrations.
Wes, who was 60 at the time, wondered where the cancer came from. He had never smoked, and he lived a relatively healthy lifestyle. A simple web search turned up information on the deadly gas radon. To see if there was indeed a problem, the Bry family purchased a DIY test at a local hardware store and tested the radon levels in their home. As it turned out, their house – which they had been living in for nearly two decades – exhibited radon levels that were three times the recommended limit of 4.0pCi/L as set by the US EPA.
“I alerted all my neighbors, anybody I know … I say: ‘You should be doing this test.'” Mary Anne Bry doesn’t want anyone to have to go through the same experience, and she’s right. Long term exposure to the deadly radon gas is what causes serious health issues. If you can test your residence, discover the problem and remove the gas from your home – through mitigation – then it lowers the risk for lung cancer significantly.
Exposure to Deadly Radon Gas Has No Short Term Health Symptoms
There are no short term symptoms of radon poisoning or lung cancer. In fact, most patients aren’t diagnosed with lung cancer until after the disease has progressed beyond a curable state.
“Wouldn’t it have been nice to be more aware of this, even a decade ago?” Wes says. “What 10 years could have done. That’s the past and now we’ll look at the future. We might be able to alter other people’s futures.”
Shortly after discovering the problem, the Bry family hired a certified mitigation team to install a radon removal system. It only cost them about $1,300, which is worth it considering the price they’d pay living in a contaminated home for much longer.
Subsequent tests in their home have shown the levels reduced to about 0.7 picocuries (pCi/L).
The deadly radon gas is odorless, colorless and tasteless which means the only way to discover its presence is to test specifically for it. Learn from stories like that of the Bry family, have your home tested immediately. The sooner you discover whether or not there’s a problem, the sooner you can take action. It also means the sooner you could be living with cleaner, healthier air in your home.
Via: Star Tribune
