Polk County Public Health is partaking in Radon Action Month throughout January. Radon is a colorless and odorless gas found in soil and joints throughout Minnesota. Because soil is so porous, Radon moves up from the soil and into homes. The gas can accumulate in the air we breathe, making it a health concern.
“This gas can accumulate in our homes regardless of the home type,” said Polk County Health Director Sarah Reese, “Whether it’s in the foundation or if it’s manufactured, whatever the case may be, it comes from the soil and what happens is when you inhale the Radon gas over time the tiny particles can damage your lungs.”
Exposure to Radon over long periods can lead to lung cancer. Exposure to Radon gas is the number one cause of lung cancer in people who do not smoke cigarettes. Smokers who are exposed to Radon enhance their chances exponentially. Many people are unaware they have been exposed to Radon due to its natural occurrence in the soil. The most effective way to test your home for this gas is to find access to a Radon testing kit.
“We like to talk about Radon in January,” said Reese, “The reason for that is that most homes in our neck of the woods have a heavy heating season. Often, this is a good time to test your home for Radon because things are tight and closed up.”
Polk County residents can access Radon test kits from the Polk County Public Health office. Few are available, and Polk County has many kits on backorder. Polk County Health has offered free Radon test kits for over a decade, precisely for Polk County residents, in honor of the Radon Action Month. When an individual receives a test kit, they can hang it in their home for three to seven days, and it will collect the Radon data, which the Polk County Health Department can analyze the information. “We always tell people to test their home in a space that you spend ten or more hours a week in,” said Reese, “For example, there is a family with an unfinished basement, and they don’t spend a lot of time in there, so that’s not where you should test in your home. However, I spend time in my basement, which would be a good place to test for Radon.”
Since 2010, Polk County has had 58 to 60 properties tested each year. Of the properties tested, 70% of the tests have shown more fantastic than four picocuries of Radon per liter of air. “What this means is four picocuries per liter is the threshold of the Environmental Protection Agency,” said Reese, “They would recommend action with these numbers. When I say action, it means a mitigation recommendation or something to reduce the amount of Radon in your home because it will likely negatively impact your health over time.”
If you have a home that shows these results, Polk County Public Health recommends that you test your home twice. If the results indicate elevated Radon characteristics, the second test can confirm the results were correct and there wasn’t misinformation in the first results.
The Minnesota Department of Health recommends that Minnesota residents conduct Radon testing in their homes every two to five years. It is impossible to eliminate all Radon rates in residential areas due to its natural occurrence. However, reduction is the goal state-wide. For more information on this matter, or if you have questions regarding your home, call the Polk County Public Health Office at 218-281-3385.
