COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Radon is a colorless, radioactive gas that can be dangerous and many homes in El Paso County contain this substance. So, checking for this could save you a headache down the road.
According to El Paso County Public Health, over 40 percent of homes tested between 2005-2021 had high radon levels. Radon is the 2nd biggest cause of lung cancer and about 21,000 people die each year from radon-causing lung cancer. That's according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency. In Colorado, the chances of your home having radon are very high because the Rocky Mountains have uranium-bearing soils that generate radon. It's also important for current homeowners to test for radon. Since radon is colorless, it may be hard to detect if your home has radon without a testing kit.
"It's really important that you test to determine what levels of radon you have and then if you have elevated levels of radon, you can mitigate those issues by fixing your home to get rid of or at least prevent that radon gas from getting into your homes," said Roy Kroeger, a registered environmental health specialist at El Paso County Public Health.
Radon testing kits are inexpensive and can be purchased at a local hardware store or online. Be sure to purchase a kit certified by the national radon proficiency program.
If you find that your home has high levels of radon, you'll want to make mitigation efforts to lower the levels. Do not be discouraged if you find a home you want to purchase with radon. Some things can be done during the negations process to resolve this. The EPA website has helpful information on how you can protect your home from radon, along with mitigation efforts.
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