Radon No Stranger to Shoals Residences By Dennis Sherer , Staff Writer Many people would never think twice about smoking and go to great lengths to avoid breathing second-hand cigarette smoke because of concerns about lung cancer.
But those same people might be risking lung cancer just by breathing the air in their homes. Numerous homes in the Shoals are plagued by radon, a colorless, tasteless and odorless gas that can increase the risk of lung cancer. Radon occurs naturally in most rocks and soil. It is produced by the breakdown of uranium and is harmless when dispersed in outdoor air, but it can cause problems when trapped inside homes.
The U.S. surgeon general's office lists radon gas as the second leading cause of lung cancer, causing an estimated 15,000 to 22,000 deaths per year.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports that nearly 1 in 15 homes in the United States has a high level of radon. The homes with problematic levels of radon include new and old houses, drafty buildings and those that are well insulated. Structures built on basements, crawl spaces and slabs are all susceptible to high radon levels.
Mack Pugh, interim coordinator of the Lauderdale County Extension System, said radon is problematic across the Tennessee Valley.
He said the limestone bedrock of the valley region makes it prone to radon problems. Radon travels horizontally within the rock and then escapes upward through cracks.
Radon can also be contained in well water and some building materials.
Of the 15 counties in Alabama that are considered radon hotspots, eight are in the Tennessee Valley, including Colbert, Lauderdale, Lawrence and Franklin.
Pugh recommends that all homes in the Shoals be tested for radon.
"We don't want to alarm people or cause a panic. But we do want people to be aware of the problem," he said.
As part of Radon Action Month in Alabama, the extension system has stepped up its efforts to make residents aware of the dangers posed by the radioactive gas and what to do if they have a radon problem in their home.
Pugh worries that many Shoals residents with dangerously high levels of radon in their home are not aware they have a problem.
Since 1986, only 1,684 homes in Lauderdale have been tested for radon, according to extension system records. Of those homes, 437, or 25.95 percent, had unsafe levels of radon, according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards.
Pugh said testing a home for radon is simple and inexpensive. Test kits are available at all county extension system offices for $5. A plastic vial in the kit is left open in a home for 48 to 96 hours before being resealed and sent to a testing lab in Maryland that measures the amount of radon that was collected.
Solving a radon problem in a home can be as simple as installing fans and pipes that help radon escape from the structure. Pugh said it typically costs $500 to $2,500 to reduce radon levels in a home that has a problem.
Pugh said areas of Lauderdale with teh highest percentage of homes tested showing high levels of radon were in and around Killen, which had 104 of 320 homes exceeding EPA danger levels. In and around Anderson, 11 of 34 homes tested had high levels of radon. The 35634 ZIP Code of Florence had 31 of 97 homes with excessive radon. The extension system tracks radon levels by ZIP Code. In Colbert County, the Tuscumbia ZIP Code has the highest percentage of homes tested having radon problems, said extension agent Marian Beck. Of 380 homes tested, 146 had high levels of radon.
In the Sheffield ZIP Code, 115 of 304 homes tested had excessive radon.
Colbert has the highest percentage of tested homes in the state with high levels of radon. Of 1,157 homes tested in Colbert, 35 percent had excessive radon.
Beck said the only way residents can know if there is a radon problem in their home is to test the air.
She said extension agents can advise residents on how to remedy radon problems in their home.
For more details about radon and radon testing, call extension system offices in Florence at 766-4846; Russellville, 332-8880; Moulton, 974-2464 or Tuscumbia, 386-8570.
Radon test kits can also be purchased at some hardware stores.
More information about radon is also available by calling the National Radon Hotline at (800) 767-7236.
Dennis Sherer can be reached at 740-5746 or dennis.sherer@timesdaily.com. |
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