There is a killer in your house that you’re likely unaware of: radon. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer behind smoking cigarettes, and is most commonly found in basements as radon gas from dissolved uranium deposits in the Earth. When exposed, the victim may feel shortness of breath, coughing, pain in the chest, trouble swallowing, and more. Living in Vermont, we are especially vulnerable to radon; one in seven Vermont homes has dangerously elevated levels of radon, and an estimated fifty Vermonters die annually from prolonged radon exposure, according to the Vermont Department of Health.
Radon is the 86th element on the periodic table, and is significantly radioactive. It is both colorless and odorless, making it hard to detect without testing. Radon is produced through the radioactive decay of uranium to lead. Along this decay series, radon decays to polonium in our lungs, causing damage to sensitive lung tissues. During this process, the offgasses travel upwards through cracks in the earth, until they find an open space to settle in, like your basement, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency [EPA].
Radon was first recognized in 1900 by Friedrich Ernst Dorn, a German chemist who dubbed it niton. It was renamed ‘radon’ in 1923. Initially used as health supplements, according to the Virginia Department of Health, “Radium was expensive and in great demand for cancer treatment…also was thought to have similar curative powers… Radon was sort of a “poor man’s radium.” The health benefits of radon and radium were quickly redacted and re-evaluated after WWII when studies indicated there were increased cases of lung cancer and radiation poisoning among uranium miners and the recipients or users of radon treatment or medication. Radium and radon are incredibly harmful to the human body and not a panacea in the least, however, the health risks were not widely recognized until the mid-1980s.
Without testing your home for radon, you might continue to breathe in harmful gasses even if the majority of your time isn’t spent in the basement. As Vermonters, our risk of radon exposure is too high to take chances. Testing your home for radon is vital. The Vermont State Department of Health provides free long-term radon test kits, which can be found at their website or by calling 1-800-439-8550. If your home has high radon levels, the Vermont State Department of Health offers government subsidies to assist you in the installation of your radon-mitigation unit.
Why wait? Call 1-800-439-8550 today to save your life.
