County Seeks Volunteers for Study of Radon Levels in Homes

6/23/2005

Does radon lurk in your home?

Wake County Environmental Services, in partnership with N.C. State University's Department of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Radiation Protection Section, is leading a three-phase countywide study to evaluate radon levels in indoor air and groundwater in homes across the county.

Phase II of the study is now under way. Environmental Services is urging Wake County homeowners to take action against radon by registering as participants in the study. Wake County residents may register online at www.wakegov.com/environment/radon, or by calling the Radon Hotline, 664-5560, during the month of July. The first 500 eligible homes volunteered will receive free testing in August.

One in 15 homes across the United States has elevated radon levels. With as many as 15,000 to 22,000 deaths each year, radon exposure is second only to smoking in causing lung cancer deaths in the United States, according to the Environmental Protection Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The geology of Wake County produces radon, and the only way to know whether radon exists in elevated levels in your home, and to protect your family from radon, is to test. Testing is simple and inexpensive, and, if discovered, radon problems can be fixed.

Radon is a colorless, odorless gas that is a decay product of uranium and occurs naturally in soil and rock. Radon enters a home through cracks in walls, basement floors, foundations and other openings. It may also contaminate the water supply, especially in private wells.

Over a person's lifetime, radon particles can enter the lungs, attach themselves, and may eventually lead to lung cancer. Radon's decay products can be trapped in the lungs where they produce a radiation dose.

Radon can be a problem in all types of homes, whether old, new, drafty, insulated, with or without basements. Local geology, construction materials and how the home was built are among the factors that can affect radon levels in homes.

Reliable tests are readily available from qualified radon testers and companies, can be easily purchased in local hardware stores and other retail outlets and are available by phone or mail order. Affordable solutions exist to radon problems in homes, and thousands of homeowners have already lowered radon levels in their homes, typically at a cost of between $500 and $2,500.

For more information about the Wake County Radon Study, call the Radon Hotline at 664-5560. For general questions about radon, contact Talytha Moore at the N.C. DENR Radiation Protection Section at 919-571-4141.

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