BURLINGTON — One in seven Vermont homes has high levels of radon. Colorless and odorless, Radon gas enters homes from the surrounding soil and bedrock. It doesn’t matter where or how old a home is — it can still have high levels of radon. Homeowners won’t know if this naturally occurring, radioactive gas is present at unsafe levels in their homes, however, unless they test for it.
To help, Vermont’s Health Department is offering free test kits. Since radon levels can change daily, weekly and seasonally, the kits test the air in homes over time. If the result is high, there are steps homeowners can take to reduce the level of radon in your home.
Breathing air with radon can increase the risk of lung cancer. Radon decays into radioactive particles that damage lung tissue and can lead to lung cancer over the course of a person’s lifetime. Smokers with high levels of radon in their homes are at an especially high risk.
Free kits can be requested by emailing name, mailing address, physical address and phone number to [email protected] or by calling 800-439-8550. More information about radon’s impact in Vermont by visiting healthvermont.gov/radon, where you can hear the story of one Vermonter whose mother was diagnosed with lung cancer, even though she was not a smoker; watch a video on how to use your radon test kit; and see the results of radon tests in your town and learn about how the bedrock geology of Vermont relates to radon risk.