BLAINE, Minn. – It’s colorless, odorless, and the second leading cause of lung cancer: radon. One in three homes in the state has radon levels that pose a health risk, and most of these home owners have no idea that this silent killer is in their homes. Radon is created in the ground, as radium and uranium break down. It can enter homes in various ways, including cracks in concrete slab, pores or cracks in concrete blocks, floor/wall joints, exposed soil around a sump pump, and loose fitting pipes entering homes.
The Environmental Protection Agency ranks every county nationwide by how prevalent radon levels are in the area. 80% of Minnesota counties received the highest prevalence rating available. In Anoka County, 1 in 3 homes has dangerously high radon levels.
To know if your home has high radon levels, the best place to start is to run a simple test. Tests acn be purchased for about $7 from most hardware stores. The test gets sent to a lab, where they analyze the amount of radon in the air. If your results are high, the next step is to run another test, that will confirm the first test’s results.
If the second test also comes back showing dangerously high radon levels, it’s then recommended that you do some type of radon mitigation.
Mitigation is allows homeowners to find ways to reduce radon levels in their residence. Typically, the process involves venting the air under your home out through your rood. Other methods involve sealing cracks and pressurizing basements, where radon typically enters.
For those of you living in Blaine, Spring Lake Park or Mounds View, the SBM Fire Department will provide you with a free radon test kit as a part of a free home safety survey. The survey covers all aspects of home safety, including fire danger, crime prevention, and minimizing the potential for household injuries.
You can contact the SBM Fire Department to schedule your home safety survey at 763-767-4003.
For those of you living outside the fire department’s area, the Minnesota Department of Health has information and resources on their website.
RESOURCES:
SBM Fire Home Safety Challenge &
Home Safety Surveys
MN Department of Health
Center for Disease Control
