January is National Radon Action Month
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – January is National Radon Action Month, and the Teton County Health Department is reminding you to test your residence, office or rental for radon.
Short-term radon test kits are available for $10 at the Teton County Health Department, located at 460 East Pearl Avenue in Jackson.
Radon is a radioactive gas that naturally occurs from the breakdown of uranium in rocks, soil, and groundwater. Radon gas enters homes and buildings from the soil beneath and can build up to high levels indoors.
When people breathe radon, the radioactive decay products damage lung tissue, which can increase the likelihood of developing lung cancer.
The Surgeon General of the United States has warned that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the country today.
Any building can have a radon problem, whether it is old or new, well-sealed or drafty, with or without a basement or crawlspace.
Teton County is designated a Zone 1 Radon Area, meaning predicted average indoor screening levels are greater than the Environmental Protection Agency’s threshold of 4 picoCuries per liter of air.
According to Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, two out of five Idaho homes that are tested for radon have levels above the threshold.
Radon gas is colorless, odorless, and tasteless, so testing is the only way to know the levels in your indoor spaces. If elevated levels are detected, residents are urged to get their homes or offices inspected or mitigated by a certified radon professional.
If you have never tested your home or office, or if it has been a few years since you last tested, consider stopping by the Health Department to purchase a test kit.
For more information, please call the Health Department’s Environmental Health Division at 307-732-8490 or stop by our office Monday through Friday from 8 am – 5 pm to purchase a test kit.
To learn more about radon from the Environmental Protection Agency, visit here.
Teton Radon Services based in Shelley also sells the kits and offers mitigation services to pump radon out of a building. You can contact them at (208) 520-8048 or visit their website.
Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is holding free, virtual radon training. It will teach homeowners what test results mean and what to do after testing. For information on the course, visit here.
