When Cassie and Kristopher Peterson decided to check the radon levels in their home, they had no idea how dangerously high the levels were. Since then, the Peterson family (back l-r) Cassie, Kris, (front) Waylon, and Lawson, installed a radon mitigation system to regulate the levels in their Clermont home.
January is Radon Action month
By Megan Molseed
mmolseed@thefayettecountyunion.com
As part of Radon Action Month in Iowa, Fayette County Environmental Health encourages Fayette County residents to test their respective homes.
A silent killer, radon is found in outdoor air and in the indoor air of buildings of all kinds. An odorless, tasteless and invisible gas, it is produced by the decay of naturally occurring uranium in soil and water.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that about 20,000 lung cancer deaths each year in the U.S. are radon-related. Exposure to radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking.
One area family recently learned the importance of regular testing when they were encouraged to pick up one of these kits a few years ago.
“We became aware of January becoming Radon Mitigation Month through the county, so we purchased testing kits at a reduced price in order to test our home,” explained Cassie Peterson of Clermont. “I was working from home at that time and my office was in the basement, so we wanted to ensure I was working in a safe environment.”
For most homeowners, the greatest risk of exposure to radon comes from rooms below grade such as basements, rooms that are in contact with the ground, and those rooms immediately above them.
Fayette County provides radon test kits for a low cost of $10. The county encourages residents to regularly test their homes for radon.