Radon: A silent killer

When carpenters began constructing a new home for Brent Olive and his family in the Wildwood on Cypress subdivision three years ago, they didn't expect to be sharing the home with a killer.

Last fall, Olive detected excessive levels of radon in his home that overlooks Cypress Creek west of downtown Florence. Radon, a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas, is produced as naturally occurring radioactive materials decompose within the earth. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency calls high levels of radon inside homes second only to smoking as a leading cause of lung cancer in America.

Pat Smith, a regional agent for the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, said more than 20,000 people die in America each year from radon-related lung cancer.

Smith said the Shoals and all the Tennessee Valley counties are some of the most problematic areas of the state for radon.

"If you live in north Alabama, there is a very good chance you have excess levels of radon in your home," Smith said. "Many people are unaware that they have a radon problem in their home and the dangers it can pose."

Smith said the geology of the Tennessee Valley makes it prone to radon problems. She said numerous cracks and fissures in the rock that underlies the region allow radon within the earth to escape to the surface.

Todd Rick, a section chief for EPA's regional office in Atlanta, said excess radon inside homes is a health risk that is much too dangerous to be ignored. This month has been declared Radon Action Month nationwide to draw attention to the danger.

"Of all the environmental problems we deal with, radon has the highest risk factor of all," Rick said. "The risk of developing lung cancer from exposure to radon is higher than from the chemicals we deal with at our Superfund sites."

Superfund sites are areas contaminated with chemicals and other industrial wastes that the EPA considers the top priority for cleanup to reduce health risks to humans.

Colbert, Franklin, Lauderdale and Lawrence counties are classified by the EPA as being among the highest risk zones for homes to have dangerous levels of the radon inside. Radon is only a health risk when it collects inside homes or other buildings and reaches dangerous levels, said Dave Ryan, a spokesman at EPA's Washington, D.C. headquarters.

An associate professor of chemistry and industrial hygiene at the University of North Alabama, Olive was aware of the dangers posed by elevated levels of radon inside homes. He was hopeful, though, that by using solid concrete instead of concrete blocks to line the basement walls and serve as his home's foundation, it would be radon-proof.

After learning that several homes in the neighborhood had been found to have high levels of radon, Olive began testing his home for the gas shortly after it was built. The initial tests revealed radon levels below the 4 pico curies per liter of air that EPA considers the threshold for an increased risk of lung cancer in humans.

"The first tests I ever took the summer after the home was built were fine. When I tested again that winter, I had slightly elevated levels of radon, but nothing to be too alarmed about," he said. "I continued testing from time to time, and then this past fall, I had radon levels of up to 30 pico curies per liter in the basement and 18 pico curies per liter upstairs."

Olive wasted little time in installing a ventilation system to pull air from beneath the concrete floor of the basement and eject it outside to prevent radon from collecting inside. The radon level inside his home now hovers around 2.5 pico curies per liter of air, which is about the lowest that can be expected for a house in a radon trouble spot like the Tennessee Valley.

"It's so easy and (the test) costs only $5. That's a real bargain for analytical testing of any kind," he said. "The hardest part of the test is going to the extension system office to buy one."

The test kits are available at extension offices in Florence, Double Springs, Hamilton, Moulton, Russellville and Tuscumbia,

The short-term tests available from the extension system use a special plastic vial that is left open for 48 hours to collect an air sample from within a home. The vial is then closed and is sent in postage-paid mailer to a testing lab for analysis. The results are mailed to the home.

Similar testing kits also are available at home improvement centers and department stores for about $20.

Olive now uses an electronic monitor that tests the air in his home several times each day for radon. He said the monitors cost about $100 but provide much peace of mind by allowing him to know continuously how much radon is inside his home.

Rick said residents whose homes are found to have high levels of radon should install a mitigation system to remedy the problem.

Smith said there are certified radon mitigators throughout north Alabama who can help homeowners solve radon problems.

Installing a system in an existing home can cost $1,500 or more. Installing one in a home when it is being built typically costs about $300, Smith said. Many north Alabama cities, including Muscle Shoals and Sheffield, require a radon mitigation system be installed in all new homes as they are being built.

Smith said installing a radon ventilation system in a home is relatively inexpensive considering the health benefits it can provide. Smith said the ventilation systems can save lives.

She said having a radon mitigation system in a home can be a strong selling point when it is sold.

Ryan said all styles of home construction can allow radon to enter the dwelling.

"Radon is an equal opportunity environmental health risk. Any home and any where, new or old, with or without a basement, in any state or on any street can have a radon problem," he said. "You won't know your radon level until you test for it."

Dennis Sherer can be reached at 740-5746 or dennis.sherer@timesdaily.com.