One in three Utah homes contains highly radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer — and most Utahns don’t know it.
What is radon?
Radon, a naturally occurring radioactive gas, is prevalent in Utah due to the state’s geography. This gas is created when uranium in the ground decays, and uranium is found throughout the state.
Although it is not dangerous for our lungs when we breathe it outside, it can be dangerous if we breathe it in our house for a long time.
Radon exposure causes 21,000 lung cancer deaths per year and should not be taken lightly. Roughly, 33% of homes tested in Utah have high radon levels, but some studies show over 50% of Utah homes do.
Why should you pay attention?
Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers and the second leading cause of lung cancer in smokers. Even more, radon-induced lung cancer is completely preventable.
“Most of the issues we deal with in medicine are always small opportunities to make a difference. If you have a one in three chance of having a problem in your home today, it’s something you need to do,” explains Dr. Wallace Ackerley, MD, a medical oncologist at Hantman Cancer Institute.
Ackerle’s medical advice is something Saratoga Springs resident Todd Smith wishes he’d heard years ago. Smith never thought he would say goodbye to his wife at such a young age. “Losing someone to lung cancer is very difficult. But at the same time, there are things you can do to avoid something like this,” Smith shared.
Since Rachel’s death, Todd has been encouraging Utah residents to test their homes for radon. “Something like radon gas is something you can avoid, we can actually test for it. If I can go back, if I can prevent it, if there’s anything I can do, it’s worth it.” Smith had a radon mitigation system installed in his home and encourages all Utah residents to take radon seriously. See more of Todd and Rachel’s story over here.
Why haven’t you heard about radon?
“Why don’t I know about radon?” It’s one of the most common questions non-smoking lung cancer patients ask Eleanor Devever, radon project coordinator at the Utah Department of Environmental Quality. “Why haven’t we done more to educate the public about what radon is, that it’s easy to test for, that it’s easy to fix?”
The answer to Diver’s question is not easy, but one thing is certain: Every Utahn should test their home for radon. According to the EPA, it’s also important to test every two years or any time major structural changes are made to your home. “Testing for radon is very important in Utah,” Divver explained. “We are a mining state, there is a lot of uranium in the soil. So we have to make sure we are testing our house.”
If you had tested your loved ones and cancer survivors, yes, for radon, you and your family could have avoided this lung cancer diagnosis.
-Eleanor Divver, Radon Project Coordinator, Utah Department of Environmental Quality
Dever explained that radon is measured in picocuries per liter of air, or pCI/L. For example, outdoor air has an average of 0.4 pCi / L. Although there is no safe level of radon, most experts agree that outdoor air does not pose a significant health risk. In contrast, the average indoor radon level in Utah is 5.3 pCi/L. That amount has the same lung cancer risk as smoking half a pack of cigarettes every day.
Because so many homes in Utah have dangerous levels of radon, Devever often has difficult conversations with nonsmoking residents with lung cancer. “It’s heartbreaking to tell loved ones and cancer survivors that, yes, if you had tested for radon now, you could have saved you and your family from this lung cancer diagnosis.”
What can you do?
The first and most important step is to test for radon. According to Devver, you should first do an activated charcoal test to find your home’s radon level. you can find A free test from UtahRadon.org, sent directly to you. Shipping, kit and lab fees are all prepaid so you don’t have to worry about any costs. After completing the simple test, you will receive your take home results within 7-14 days. If your home’s test results are high, a radon mitigation system may be installed to reduce radon levels to safe levels.
Radon is dangerous to all Utahns, but now is your chance to take action and protect yourself and your loved ones from lung cancer caused by radon. Go to get your free radon test kit Utaradone.org.