The invisible risk: Why radon deserves your attention

Radon doesn’t smell. You can’t see it. And most people don’t realize it’s in their home until someone tells them to look.

January is National Radon Action Month. In this episode of Cultivating Curiosity, Rebecca Cantrell, radon educator for University of Georgia Cooperative Extension in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, discusses why this invisible gas is a serious and often overlooked public health issue.

Cantrell explains what radon is, why it’s the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S., and why no home in Georgia is exempt from risk. She walks listeners through: 

• How often to test
• How Extension helps residents make sense of their results
• What to do if results come back elevated
• How education around radon empowers residents to keep their homes and families safe

Learn more about how to protect your family from the health effects of radon at radon.uga.edu.

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Transcript

Jordan Powers: 0:00

Welcome to Cultivating Curiosity where we get down and dirty with the experts on all the ways science and agriculture touch our lives, from what we eat to how we live. I'm Jordan Powers.

Emily Cabrera: 0:12

And I'm Emily Cabrera. We're from the University of Georgia's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Sound Effect: 0:18

[chime]

Emily Cabrera: 0:20

Happy New Year, listeners. We know this is a time of year when people set new intentions and goals for the year ahead. Since January is National Radon Action month, one goal you might consider this year is testing your home for radon, a naturally occurring, colorless, odorless, radioactive gas that is found in homes throughout the world.

Jordan Powers: 0:39

To talk about this important topic, we've invited Rebecca Cantrell into the studio. She is the radon educator for UGA Cooperative Extension, a role that sits within the College of Family and Consumer Sciences.

Sound Effect: 0:50

[chime]

Emily Cabrera: 0:52

Rebecca, thank you for joining us today. Listeners might have heard about radon, but I wonder if you can give us a brief explanation of what radon is and why it's important for residents no matter where they live.

Rebecca Cantrell: 1:03

Radon is a naturally occurring gas, and it comes from the breakdown of uranium we find in the rocks. And this gas is radioactive. It is odorless, colorless and tasteless. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer behind smoking, so even if you've never smoked in your entire life. If you live in a home with high levels of radon, you are still at risk for developing lung cancer in the future. Radon is found in all types of rocks, but here in Georgia, we really care about the granite and shale are huge harbors of radon. So especially in northeast Georgia, along the Appalachian Mountains, that's going to be a huge area for radon.

Jordan Powers: 1:42

We hear about radon, and it always seems kind of mysterious for a lot of people, right? What does your role as a radon educator look like day to day?

Rebecca Cantrell: 1:50

It does sort of vary day to day. At its heart, it's mostly about raising awareness, and this is done through classes with UGA Extension or local libraries. I use a lot of the data that we get from people who purchase kits through UGA, and I'll do social media posts monthly saying, "Hey, here's where the highest level of radon was reported this month. This is how many homes had elevated levels of radon". Using that data to take something that may be complicated and bring it down to a level that an everyday person could easily understand. And then, of course, answering phone calls and emails and questions about radon, which is always fun to reach out to people across Georgia and seeing where they are and getting excited that they're interested in radon. And then also my co-worker, Dr. Uttam Saha, he does a lot of research, and I'm very grateful and lucky to be part of some of his research that he does.

Emily Cabrera: 2:44

You mentioned testing homes. Some people might hear about testing their home for radon during the home buying process. But how often should someone be testing their residence? And should people in apartments also be testing their units?

Rebecca Cantrell: 2:57

Overall, you would want to test your home every two years. That is what would be recommended. Now, if you test your home and it becomes elevated, we recommend testing one more time before mitigation, just to ensure that there wasn't some sort of issue with the test for whatever reason, once you have your home mitigated, hopefully, because it's not required in Georgia, but hopefully if you choose to mitigate your home, you'd want to test again within 30 days to ensure your system is working. Then past that, I would say, every two years. And this would be the same advice I'd give to anyone in the state of Georgia, whether that be someone up in Blue Ridge Georgia, where they would most likely have very high levels of radon all the way down to like Valdosta, where they're most likely going to have lower levels, because any home can have radon despite where they live, despite how old their home is, if they are on a basement, if they have a crawl space or just a first level, any home is at risk for having a radon problem. In terms of rentals, that gets very tricky, also, because there are no laws or regulations about radon in Georgia and landlords are not required to mitigate an apartment building or a home that you rent for radon. The law, there is something that talks about a safe home and a livable environment, radon is not explicitly stated. So we err on the side of caution that they do not have to because it's not clearly stated. So I would recommend discussing with your landlord first before testing, just to ensure that there isn't any sort of issue that comes up in the future.

Jordan Powers: 4:29

That's a good plan. Always be clear and upfront.

Emily Cabrera: 4:32

So, your whole role as an educator around this one thing is really important. Why do you think people don't test?

Rebecca Cantrell: 4:40

I think the two major barriers would be a fear of knowing if they had high levels of radon. They don't want to test because they are very scared to see if they have high levels of radon, and that can provide a lot of anxiety and a lot of panic. And then additionally, there is a financial cost to having a mitigation system put in. On average it's about $1,500 and that can definitely be a very steep price for some people. In the long run, it's certainly cheaper than cancer treatment, but it's really hard to look 20 to 30 years ahead compared to right now, and there aren't really any other options to mitigate. It's you want to put a system in your house. There isn't another way to truly level or lower your levels of radon.

Emily Cabrera: 5:23

Right, it seems like it might be a little bit scary, but it's better to know and have information and then you can plan from there.

Rebecca Cantrell: 5:31

Yes, I definitely think that would be the best option, just to know what you're up against and try to fix that problem as soon as possible.

Jordan Powers: 5:38

Absolutely. Well, my next question is maybe a little bit of a selfish question, because I heard that two years and went, oh boy, that's I'm well beyond that. How would someone in Georgia go about getting a radon test kit, and what information do they need up front to know how to test and how do they get their results?

Rebecca Cantrell: 5:54

UGA Radon offers radon test kits. These can be purchased online for $15 or some local Extension offices sell them for $10. You could also use your local hardware store to do the tests. UGA provides instructions and some tips inside the test kit itself, it includes instructions as well as a visual and the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences just worked on completing a video of the step by step instructions for the radon in air, that is another resource to help do that process of testing. In terms of getting your results, the time does depend. Once it arrives at the lab, you would get it very quickly, maybe within a day. The biggest issue, unfortunately, is the mail. So you could wait maybe 10 days before you get a result. I would also get a copy of your results if you purchase through UGA. So I would reach out to those individuals that have high levels of radon and give them a list of certified mitigators and a PDF from the EPA about radon and what to do and what to look for in a mitigator. And of course, if you decide not to purchase through UGA, you could always reach out to me to help with interpreting your results. The difference is, they would have to reach out to me and know their results, instead of me having them and looking them up, because I can't look them up if they're not purchased through UGA.

Jordan Powers: 7:10

So the added benefit there is you're really getting immediate access to your expertise and that educational component, which is phenomenal.

Emily Cabrera: 7:18

Now I'm wondering, also selfishly, because I just purchased a test kit, and I've hung it in my house, and tomorrow is the day that it comes down and I get it in the mail, I'm gonna try to get it in first thing in the morning, and I've gotta say, I'm a little nervous. So what if my results come back elevated?

Rebecca Cantrell: 7:35

I would say, don't panic, because any home with elevated levels of radon can be mitigated. You don't need to move out or freak out or anything like that. It can definitely be scary. So have your feelings, if you're nervous. If your results are elevated, I would recommend retesting just to ensure that this was right. If they come back elevated again, then I would recommend mitigation. And, the EPA and UGA would recommend using a certified mitigator, and I compile that list monthly to ensure that these people are up to date on their certifications, that it hasn't expired, or if it was about to expire, that they've renewed. And we would encourage them to use someone from that list. Research a couple of people get a few quotes first, but definitely recommend someone who is certified to take care of that problem for you.

Jordan Powers: 8:23

And what does a mitigation system look like?

Rebecca Cantrell: 8:25

They do sort of vary on your situation. At the base level, it's basically pipes and a fan. And it is designed to draw the radon out of your house through the roof so it makes a greater negative pressure than what your house is, so it diverts a lot of that radon through the pipes, up through the system, goes out through the roof, hopefully 10 feet above, to make sure that that radon doesn't go right back into your house. But they will vary based on what your situation is. It's a little different if it's a crawl space or if it's a basement or a split level house, may be a little different, so it will depend, but at the core, it is just pipes and fans and a vent.

Jordan Powers: 9:04

Okay, so don't panic. There are solutions.

Rebecca Cantrell: 9:07

Yes. And if you are looking into buying a home and you want new construction, you can do radon resistant construction as well. So this would basically lower your risk for having radon in the home, and if, over time, you know radon does develop, it breaks through the permeable barrier, or there are bigger cracks than anticipated, there's already a junction box in your attic, depending on your home. It might be your attic might not be, and already a bit of a system in place that's considered passive. And if there is radon, they'd flip it on to make it active, and it would already pull out the radon, and it's cheaper in the long run, because the house is built around that system, compared to having to install a system.

Emily Cabrera: 9:47

So is this happening with all new construction, or is this a specification that the home owner needs to ask for?

Rebecca Cantrell: 9:54

This would be something that the homeowner would want to ask for. It just is up to you to want to do that.

Jordan Powers: 9:59

We also know that radon can end up in water. Can you talk about who should test their water and how they would go about getting a test?

Rebecca Cantrell: 10:07

Unlike testing in the air, only people who have well water and use that well water for drinking water or showering or washing their clothes should test their water. If you are on city or county water, you don't need to worry about it. UGA Extension county offices all have water kits that you can purchase, and they will help you, step by step on how to test your water. We very recently updated our water testing guidelines through a video that are even more clear than before. So it is a very simple process, and UGA Extension offices are more than happy to help test for that. And my co worker, Dr. Saha, is very well versed in radon in water, and he can definitely help you out and provide very clear in-depth answers on a situation where there's high levels of radon in the water. And if you have well water, we would say, also test your home. So if you're well water, do both your home and water. If you don't have to worry about well water, just test your home.

Jordan Powers: 11:06

Good advice and just the continued wealth of amazing resources through UGA Cooperative Extension. And we will be sure to put in the show notes the link that if you don't know where your local Extension office is, you can find that, so you have it on hand. As we wrap up here, what do you wish more people knew about radon?

Rebecca Cantrell: 11:22

That radon is a serious thing, and it can be in any home, and it is a deadly gas, and it can cause lung cancer and potentially other cancers that are still being researched and investigating at this moment. But the good news of all this is it can be fixed and avoided.

Jordan Powers: 11:41

I love that. Take it seriously. Don't put it off, because there are tools and there are people who are here to help walk you through that entire process. Well, Rebecca, thank you so much. We know this is a busy time of year. We really appreciate you taking the time to raise a little bit of awareness here and help some Georgians get back on track, if they're like me and need to get back on track with the testing process. Thanks so much.

Rebecca Cantrell: 12:05

Thank you for having me.

Jordan Powers: 12:05

Thanks for listening to Cultivating Curiosity, a podcast produced by the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. A special thanks to Mason McClintock for our music and sound effects. Find more episodes wherever you get your podcasts.