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The Asheville-Buncombe Air Quality Agency and Buncombe County Environmental Health are encouraging residents to get their homes tested for Radon during National Radon Action Month.
Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. after smoking and the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that is invisible, odorless, and tasteless. Radon is released harmlessly from the ground into outdoor air, but it can accumulate and reach harmful levels when trapped in homes and buildings.
Testing is the only way to know if a home has an elevated level of radon. EPA and the U.S. Surgeon General recommend taking action to fix your home if the radon level is 4 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) of air or more. Most homes can be fixed for about the same cost as other common home repairs. Taking action to reduce your exposure to radon is a long-term investment in your family’s health and your home.
Asheville-Buncombe Air Quality Agency has a limited amount of free short-term radon test kits for residents. Test kits can be picked up at Environmental Health, Monday through Friday (closed on 1/20) from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 30 Valley Street in Asheville (limit is one per household, two per person).
Additional information can be found at www.epa.gov/radon and at the North Carolina Radon webpage.