Date Published: 12/30/2019 [Source]
Is Radon a Real Problem? January is National Radon Action Month. This is an excellent time for us to learn more about radon and how it affects the communities in which we live.
Radon is a radioactive gas that occurs naturally in soil — originating from the natural decay of uranium that is found in nearly all soils. It typically moves up through the ground and into your home through cracks and other holes in the foundation, gaps around service pipes or in suspended floors. Radon then becomes trapped inside your home, where levels of the gas can build up. Any home may have a radon problem: new or old, well-sealed or drafty, with or without basements.
Exposure to elevated indoor radon levels increases the risk of developing lung cancer at some point in your life. Radon exposure in your home is the second leading cause of lung cancer death for non-smokers. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment estimates that as many as 200 new cases of radon-related lung cancer occur each year in Kansas.
"One in four homes in Kansas will test at or above the EPA's radon action level of 4.0 picocuries of radon per liter of indoor air," reports Bruce Snead, director of the Kansas Radon Program at Kansas State University.