Government Urges Testing of All U.S. Homes - How To Test Radon Levels

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by Damian

Report-style coverage explains radon as an odorless, invisible gas that naturally forms from uranium and radium in the soil and enters homes through basement cracks and around underground pipes. It outlines how radon becomes dangerous after entering the air, increasing cancer risk at sufficiently high concentrations, and summarizes federal guidance for testing. The piece also describes how to detect radon using EPA-approved detectors or collectors, notes state and household risk variation, and presents key public debates and mitigation steps.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time23 min

AccessFree to download

CURRENT EVENTS

The Risk from Radon

Alarmed Officials

How To Test

Critics

Emperor Hirohito

Mohammed Ali Hamadei

Government Urges Testing ofAll U.5.Homes A silent killer may belurking in your home. But don't panic.And don'tcall the police.The killer isnot a criminal.It's not evenhuman.It's an ordorless,in-visible gas called radon.Ra-don is produced naturallybyuranium and radium deepinrocks below the surface ufthe soil.It makes its way upto the surface and entershomes through cracks in thebasement or around under-ground pipes. Radon isn't dangerouswhen it is underground.Butonce in the air,it breaksdown into several radioac-tive substances.Radioactioesubstances are substancesthat give off harmful rays.Some of these substances, # CURRENT EVENTS Rodon enters houses through crocks and holes in the basement or first floor.Eachausts onappliances and drafts on sfovepipes tend to drow more rodon through cracks and holes. # The Risk from Radon warns the federal Environ-mental Protection AgencyEPA),can lodge in humanhungs and-overyears of highenough exposure—causelung cancer in some people. Alarmed Oficials The EPA has long knownthat high concentrations ofradonin the air are harmful.And it first told homeown-ers to test for radonin 1984.But a recent nationwidesample testing so alarmedEPA officials that they havecalled upon all Americansto test for radon as soon asthey can. Nearly one-third of thehomes tested by the EPAshowed levels of radonhigher than the EPA's rec- ommended danger level offour picocuries (pCi)of ra-don per liter of air.A pico-curie is one-trillionth of acurie,a standard measure ofradiation. If the testing represents,a true sámpling,and the EPAsays it does,more than 8million U.S.homes may con-tain enough radon to pose ahealth hazard.And morethan 200,000 homes mayhave extremely dangerouslevels of radon. The survey also indicatesthat radon in homes maycause as many as 20,000lung-cancer deaths a year,making it the second lead-ing cause of that form ofcancer after smoking.Mil-lions of Americans,says theEPA,are now at risk forradon-caused hung cancer. Some states appear tohave more of a radon prob- An oxpert checks a house lem than others.(See graphon p.4.)In Minnesota,forexample,over 46 percent ofthe homes surveyed hadmore than 4pCiof radon perliter ofair;in North Dakotathe figure was a nationalhigh of 63 percent. How To Test Fortinately,says the EPA,it's easy and inexpensive forhomeowners to test theirhomes for dangerous radonlevels.Hardware stores andeven supermarkets nowsellradon detectors,some for aslittle as $10.But,war er-perts,people should buy adetector that is EPA-ap-proved.If homeowners arenot sure which detectors areapproved,they can get a listof approved detectors bywriting or calling the EPA. There are two main means Continued on Next Page PEOPLE IN THE newS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 of detecting radon levels inthe air,both of which in-volve placing a small collec-tor in the home for days ormonths and then sending thecollector toalab to measurethe radon buildup.But to becompletely safe,says theEPA,homeowners who usewell water should also testtheir water for radon buildup.Radon is removed from mostcity or town public watersupply systems. Critics high. Critics have attacked theEPA decision from bothsides.Some complain thatthe EPA may have underes-timated the dangerfrom evena small amount of radon.These critics say thatbreathing even a reasonably“safe”4 pCi of radon for 18hours a day carries the samerisk of lung cancer as smok-ing half a pack of cigarettesdaily. Others,such as scientistWilliam Mills,argue thathigh radon levels pose a riskmainly for smokers.He sayshis own studies show thatnonsmokers face little dan-ger from radon. AP/Wida World ## EMPEROR HIROHITO "The most effective wayto remove the risk from ra-don is to not smoke,"Millssays. AllofJopanhas been anxiouslylislening to health bulletins onEmperor Hirohio.Aged 87,he hassuffered from a slomoch ailment.The longest reigning monorch inthe world,Hirohilo has almost nopolificalpower.But the Japanese. By the EP

FAQs

What is radon and how does it get into homes?

Radon is an odorless, invisible gas produced naturally in the ground. It moves upward and enters homes through basement cracks and around underground pipes.

Why is radon dangerous once it enters the air?

Underground radon is not dangerous, but in the air it breaks down into radioactive substances that can emit harmful rays associated with lung cancer risk.

How can homeowners test for radon levels?

Homeowners can use EPA-approved radon detectors or methods that collect radon over days or months and send the collector to a lab. The text also notes that well water should be tested for radon buildup.

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by Damian