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Feb 3, 2005 11:00 pm US/Central
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Air Of Danger May Lurk In Your Home
by Mary Ann Childers
CHICAGO (CBS 2) ―
A danger exists in American homes -- an invisible invader so deadly that the U.S. Surgeon General recently issued a national health advisory urging all Americans to test their homes for it. It's radon gas. And while you can't see, smell, or taste it, radon can be a killer.
It's a cozy house, on a quiet street. And for 15 years, it's been home for Bill and Liz Hoffmann. They never dreamed it could make them sick.
"I had intermittent pain below my left shoulder blade," Liz Hoffmann said.
X-rays revealed a large tumor on her lung, and surgery confirmed that at age 37, Liz had cancer. There was no family history. Liz never smoked.
"There is no reason that I should have lung cancer, except that our home tested high for radon," Liz said.
Radon is a gas that occurs naturally in soil, rock, and water. The average level in outdoor air is a .4 concentration. In indoor air it's 1.3. But if your home is 4 or above, the EPA says you need to take action. The Hoffmann's home tested at 8.6.
"Radon is thought to be the second leading cause of lung cancer after cigarette smoking," said Dr. Edward Naureckas with the American Lung Association.
It kills 21,000 people every year. It's insidious, entering your house through cracks or openings in the foundation. It can seep through concrete and spread throughout your house. The age, size, or value of your home doesn't matter. If levels get too high, you're at risk. But you don't have to be.
"It's something that's so preventable that it's sort of senseless not to know what concentrations you have in your house. It's easy to test for, and if you do have elevated radon concentrations, it's easy to fix," said Dr. Bill Field, a research scientist at the University of Iowa.
Field conducted a landmark study of radon at the University of Iowa. He found that with exposure to level 4 radon -- the EPA's upper guideline -- the risk of lung cancer jumped 40 percent. He believes lower levels, between 2 and 4, are just as dangerous over time. Others agree.
"It must be understood that there is no safe level for radon," said Fred Carlson with the Kane County Health Department.
Statewide testing in 1997 found elevated radon levels in 17 percent of homes in Cook County. Lake County was the lowest at 13 percent, Will and McHenry tested at 28 and 29 percent, DuPage at 31 percent and 45 percent in DeKalb. In Kane County 49 percent of homes tested high.
"It is a kind of hidden danger that the public is not aware of," Carlson said.
We asked 40 families across the Chicago area to test their homes. The test is simple and inexpensive.
First, you fill out the information on the back and then stuff the tiny sponge in the open end of the envelope. Next, just hang it up on the lowest livable level of your house -- your basement if you have one, the first floor if you don't.
Out of the 40 homes tested, we found three houses with radon above the EPA's upper limit of 4. Two were in DuPage and one in Kane. Fourteen others had levels between 2 and 4. That means fully 45 percent of the homes we tested had unhealthy radon levels.
"If there is somebody giving that much radiation to people, people would be up in arms trying to go after the company that's doing that. But since it's Mother Nature, they really don't see a need to fix it," Field said.
Some communities are requiring radon resistant building materials for new homes. But reducing radon in older homes is easy. A licensed mitigator can tell you where it's entering the house. Solutions range from repairing cracks to adding pipe and vent or fan systems.
"We are pulling the radon out from under the floor and then the crawl space surfaces, before it gets to the house," said Calvin Murphy with DuPage Radon Contractors.
Murphy, who has installed nearly 8,000 mitigation systems, says most don't require big changes to your home or a big expense.
Liz Hoffmann's vent system cost $1,200. She would have spent 10 times that if only she'd known about the air of danger in her home.
"When you look at the five-year survival rates, I only have a 15 percent chance to celebrate my 42nd birthday," Hoffman said.
Liz Hoffmann told me she wants to urge everyone to test their home for radon. You should do it more than once for the most accurate results and the test should be repeated every two years. It should also be repeated anytime you move, make structural changes, or occupy a previously unused level of your home.
And to help you do it, CBS 2 is partnering with the American Lung Association and Air Chek to make test kits available at half price for only $5. Visit http://lungchicago.org/programs/radon.asp
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