Take action against radon

January is designated as National Radon Action Month. The keyword here is “action.” Mille Lacs Health System wants to help you take action to ensure your house is safe from radon. Given the fact that people are spending more time at home than ever before due to the pandemic, there is no time better than the present to ensure your home is a safe place to be.

The MN Department of Health warns that Minnesota has radon levels three times the national average. This is due to our geology as well as the homes being closed up so much of the year. Forty percent of MN homes pose a significant risk to high levels of radon.

The American Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists warns that children are more susceptible to the damaging health effects of radon as they have smaller lungs and faster breathing rates. Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. More than 21,000 lung cancer deaths are attributed to radon each year in the United States.

Radon is an odorless, colorless, and tasteless gas that occurs naturally in Minnesota soils all over the state. Simple radon test kits can be purchased at many hardware or home improvement stores as well as ordered online and are fairly inexpensive. The best time to test is during the heating season, but testing can be done year-round. Your sample is mailed off to a lab and results follow a few weeks later. Follow instructions – best tested on the lowest level of the house regularly occupied by people. It is reported that radon levels can vary greatly even between neighboring homes so it is important to get your individual home tested.

In homes found to have high radon levels, radon reduction typically involves installing a venting pipe and fan to pull the gas from under the home to the outside. This reduces the amount of radon in the home to low levels. Professionals conducting radon mitigation must be licensed by MDH, follow standards, and affix a MDH tag to the system.