You can’t see or smell it, but it can kill you

Published 6:55 pm Wednesday, November 7, 2007

By Staff
Radon is a tasteless, odorless, colorless, radioactive gas that occurs naturally in soil and rock.
The problem comes when this gas becomes trapped under your house's foundation.
Unfortunately, there is no way to tell which homes are at risk, therefore all should be tested.
The test for radon is easy and inexpensive and could save your life.
Usually the test costs $12 or less and is available from your county health department.
Radon normally travels up and out to the atmosphere where it is quickly diluted, but when it is trapped under a home's foundation, it can leak into the home through cracks and openings in the floor or walls, and exposure over time can increase one's risk of lung cancer.
Radon is believed to be the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the United States and the leading cause among non-smokers.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates it results in more than 20,000 lung cancer cases each year, and a Michigan Public Health Institute report indicates that more than 600 of those may occur in Michigan alone.
The fall is traditionally the time you test for the gas, as it is when we shut up our homes tightly against the winter weather. For more information about radon, visit http://www.michigan.gov/deqradon.