Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
You lock your doors at night. You install security systems. Your house is as clean and germ-free as possible. Yet, after all that work to keep your family safe and healthy, there may still be a silent killer lurking unnoticed in your home: radon.
Kerri Robbins is familiar with the radioactive gas. Her nightmare began on a warm June morning when she woke up feeling nauseated. "As I'm washing my hands, I'm looking in the mirror and I don't know why I'm here," Kerri recalls. Confused and frightened, she went to the emergency room where doctors discovered lung and brain cancer.
"The oncologist explained that it had metastasized, so it had gone from my lungs to my brain," Kerri explained. "The first thing he said was, 'Have you had your house tested for radon?'" She then tested her home for radon, and the results were not good—her home had 31.3 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) of radioactive radon gas. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends considering mitigation starting at 2.0 pCi/L.
"30.0 picocuries of radon is like smoking three packs of cigarettes every day," Eleanor Divver, the radon coordinator at the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, told KSL's Ladd Egan at the time. "It's heartbreaking to hear these stories, and yet I hear them every day."
Radon — a natural, radioactive, odorless, tasteless and invisible gas — is the culprit behind approximately 21,000 lung cancer deaths per year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency and is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers.
"I love my house. I love my neighborhood, and, come to find out, that's probably what's given me cancer. I got up the next morning and I thought, 'I've got to let people know this.'"
(See the maps at the end of the article that highlight areas of radon risk across the Wasatch Front.)
KSL reported Kerri Robbins' shocking cancer diagnosis last fall. Since then, Kerri's story has prompted more than 30,000 Utahns to request radon tests for their homes. Of those 30,000 tests, two-thirds were provided for free by Utah Radon Services. "Experiences like Kerri's are unfortunately common. We receive far too many calls from Utahns who are having the same nightmare as Kerri. Radon-induced lung cancer is completely preventable and we're doing everything we can to help to stop it," said Bruno Vassel, owner of Draper-based Utah Radon Services.
Test your home for free
There's an easy way to put your fears at rest when it comes to potential radon poisoning in your home: request a free home radon test from Utah Radon Services. "We have taken the cost barrier away so every homeowner in the state of Utah can test their home regardless of their financial situation," Vassel explained.
Simply visit their website, fill out a short contact form, and they'll mail you a free radon test kit. Your kit includes simple-to-follow instructions and a prepaid return envelope to send the completed test to an independent certified lab for analysis. You'll get the results via email, usually within one to two weeks.
"Indoor radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States and breathing it over prolonged periods can present a significant health risk to families all over the county," Dr. Richard H. Carmona, former U.S. Surgeon General, said in a 2005 press release. "It's important to know that this threat is completely preventable. Radon can be detected with a simple test and fixed through well-established venting techniques."
The only way to detect radon is to test for it. Taking one minute to request a free test could end up saving your life.
So many people living here have no idea what radon is or that they need to be concerned. I wouldn't take a chance; get your home tested, and if needed, mitigate.
–Kerri Robbins
What to do if you discover radon in your home
It is important to understand there are no safe levels of radon exposure; the goal is to reduce the amount of radon gas to as low as possible. According to the EPA, homeowners should consider installing a radon mitigation system if the home tests at or above 2.0 pCi/L and the World Health Organization recommends mitigation at 2.7 pCi/L.
If your home tests high for radon, don't panic. Utah Radon Services also offers a free mitigation quote so you can get an idea of how much it might cost to remove the radon from your home. All you have to do is fill out a quick form online for a free, no-obligation radon removal bid.
"I'm on a mission to inform others about radon. I don't want anyone else to have sleepless nights waiting to find out what is going on, to see the tears in your kids' eyes when you get diagnosed," Kerri told KSL's Ladd Egan. "So many people living here have no idea what radon is or that they need to be concerned. I wouldn't take a chance; get your home tested, and if needed, mitigate."
For more information about the effects of radon, how to test for it, and how to remove it from your home, visit utahradonservices.com.
