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Radon is a gas produced when the radioactive element, radium, decays. Radon causes an estimated 14,000 lung cancer deaths each year. You cannot see or smell radon. If radon is present in the earth around your home, it may enter your home from the earth through cracks and openings in the foundation, floors and walls.

If you are concerned about radon in or around your home, there are several steps you can take to determine the presence of radon and the amount of radon in any given volume of air.

First, check with your local government or state government to see if they have data on radon measurements in your community. As an example, the State of California has a huge map of Los Angeles County that shows radon density in color coded areas. The standard measurement for radon is in Picocuries per liter. The government has set a limit of 4 pCi/L as a danger level for homes.

The colors on the government map are divided into 3 color densities. The darkest are the areas that "have a high potential for indoor levels above 4 pCi/L. The medium color density is areas that "have a moderate potential for indoor levels above 4 pCi/L. The lightest areas "have a low potential for indoor levels above 4pCi/L. As an example, the mostly level Los Angles "basin" is coded as "low potential". But just south, the Palos Verdes Peninsula is almost all coded as "moderate potential". There is more data available from the county in the form of actual reading in each zip code.

The web site to look for with the Los Angeles map is: www.consrv.ca.gov/cgs/minerals /hazardous_minerals/radon/SR18 2Map.pdf

Another excellent resource for learning about radon nationwide is:
http://www.water-research.n et/radonwater.htm

You can test your home using low cost test kits available through the US government. Go to
http://www.epa.gov/radon/rad ontest.html
for more information.

Last but not least, there are specific steps you can take to minimize the collection of radon in your home. The danger is from radon gas that seeps in from the ground below. So the most obvious way for the gas to enter is through the floor. If you have a concrete slab floor, remember that concrete is porous, so gas can permeate it. Most concrete floors are covered by flooring. Carpet is also porous, so treating the concrete before laying carpet can be a good deterrent to gas seepage. Hard flooring and vinyl are both glued and make a good barrier.

If you have raised floors with a crawl space below, sealing off the floors may be harder. Be sure to seal off openings like floor furnaces. Don't spend a lot of money before you test the air in your house using the test kit.

Learn more about this author, Kurt Shafer.
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