While many San Franciscans are bundling up and staying inside this chilly season, a silent health hazard could be lurking in the comfort of their homes: radon gas. Known for being a leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers and the second overall, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services' blog, radon is an invisible threat because it is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas, detection is only possible through testing.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says that any radon level above 4.0 picocuries per liter should warrant action, yet there's no truly "safe" level; even more disconcerting is, the estimated statistics indicating about one in 15 homes in Arizona stand above this threshold, now imagine that, one in 15 homes facing a risk equivalent to smoking eight cigarettes a day—without even lighting up. To address this, Arizona residents have access to free test kits provided by the ADHS, an easy step towards securing their health and home environment.
Here’s the deal—winter is the best time for radon testing because houses are sealed tight against the cold, potentially trapping radon inside, hence January being National Radon Action Month according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Homeowners are urged to take a proactive approach, obtain a short-term radon test kit, which takes about 3-7 days to obtain results, and if necessary, take further action to install a mitigation system.
ADHS not solely distributes these test kits but also offers guidance on interpreting results and reducing radon levels, steps that are critical because, let's face it, what we can't see can hurt us and the health risks associated with long-term radon exposure are far too significant to ignore—so it's time to take that simple measure for a major impact. If you're in Arizona and curious about radon levels in your home, kick start the year with health in mind, grab a test kit from the ADHS website, and find out what's in the air you breathe.
