Date Published: 01/03/2020 [Source]
With National Radon Action Month having arrived, Pitkin County and Aspen environmental health officials are issuing reminders about the dangers of the odorless, colorless, radioactive gas — and how local property owners can take steps to lessen its threat to health. Whitcomb and Pitkin County environmental health specialist Bryan Daugherty says plenty of free testing kits are available to local residents who want to see whether dangerous levels of radon exist in their homes.
While long-term radon exposure can lead to lung cancer, and possibly death, it's not considered as dangerous as nicotine consumption through smoking, Whitcomb said. But those who smoke while also living in homes with high levels of radon face an increased health threat, according to Daugherty.
Radon is formed by the natural radioactive decay of uranium in rock, soil and water. It can be found in all 50 states, but Colorado is said to have one of the highest national rates of radon gas seeping into homes due to the presence of uranium beneath the land and its history of uranium mining.