Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer for nonsmokers with long term exposure in the United States – but what is it?

Julie Hettinger, Geary County Health Department Community Health Planner, said that radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that is found in almost all types of soil.

“[It] can actually seep up through your foundation and into your home and that can put you and your family at risk…in our geology we have a lot of limestone so actually 1 in 4 homes in Kansas will test above the rates that they suggest, they’ll have elevated levels,” said Hettinger.

Winter months pose an additional threat as many homes don’t receive the outside airflow and ventilation that they would in the warmer months.

“In the Spring and Fall a lot of times you have your windows open and those types of things, so in the Winter your home is really closed off, so those are probably going to be the times that you have the highest radon count – so we want to know what that highest count is when you don’t have your doors and windows open,” said Hettinger.

Testing your home or soil for radon can be fairly inexpensive; according to Hettinger, short term (5 to 7 days) radon tests can be purchased from the Geary County Extension Office for about $6.

“The only way to know [if radon is present in your home] is to test it because you can’t see it, you can’t smell it, it doesn’t have a taste, so you have to do a test…and if your levels come back high, you can either do another test or kind of a long term test and at that point you probably want to start getting a professional involved,” said Hettinger.

The best way to test for radon is to get a reading from the lower level, not basement of your home.

January is Radion Action Month. More information can be obtained from the Kansas Department of Health.