January is Radon Awareness Month

Lexington Emergency Management along with state and federal agencies want you to know about the dangers of radon gas and the need to be aware of radon testing in homes and businesses. January is National Radon Awareness Month.

Radon is an invisible, odorless, radioactive gas that is found naturally in rocks and soil. It enters homes through cracks and other openings in foundations. Any home can have elevated levels of radon. The only way to know if your home has an elevated radon level is to test.

The Commonwealth of Kentucky has long promoted radon testing. When homeowners find high levels of radon, they are urged to fix the problem. Typically, radon mitigation systems are installed to reduce the radioactive gas. The systems are designed for continuous suction and exhaust of the gas so it doesn’t collect in basements, crawl spaces and other places within a home.

It is estimated that a million homes in Kentucky have elevated radon levels. Many homeowners are not fully educated on the link between radon and lung cancer, thereby resulting in a small number of residential mitigations. About 1,800-2,000 mitigations are done each year in Kentucky. Also, more newly built homes could be constructed radon-resistant, if the owner requests the builder to put in radon prevention technologies (radon-resistant new construction or RRNC) in the design.

Here’s more information about the dangers of radon in homes and offices, how to test for it and what to do to minimize exposure to radon gas.

Source: Fayette County Health Department, US EPA