Home should be tested for radon every two years

For details, call the McHenry County Unit at (815) 338-3737 or the Kane County Unit at (630) 584-6166.

You can't see or smell radon. It may be in your home, posing a health risk to you and your family. The natural breakdown of uranium in the soil gives off a radioactive gas called radon, that can enter homes, polluting the air.

While there is no safe level of radon, at high concentrations and prolonged exposure, radon can cause lung cancer, leading to many thousands of deaths each year in the U.S. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer for smokers, and the first leading cause of lung cancer for non-smokers.

Not everyone exposed to high levels of radon gas will get lung cancer. Testing is the only way to know how much radon is in your home. Radon detectors are easy to use and low-cost.

Homes should be tested for radon every two years. Free radon test kits are available from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, while supplies last. The radon test kits can be ordered online at www.radon.illinois.gov, or by calling (800) 325-1245. Radon detectors also are available for purchase at many hardware stores and some county health departments. It is recommended that homes with a radon level of four or more picoCuries per liter of air (pCi/L) be fixed to reduce the radon levels in the home. Radon levels of four picoCuries per liter of air is equal to 200 chest X-rays per year.

It is recommended that professional mitigators be hired to install the system to reduce the level of radon in the home below 4pCi/L. Mitigation is the act of repairing or altering a building or building design for the purpose of reducing the concentration of radon in the indoor atmosphere. This can cost an average of $800 to $1,200 to mitigate the home of radon, depending on the extent of the work needed.

A list of licensed professional radon mitigators in Illinois is available on the Web site: www.radon.illinois.gov.

For information on radon, visit the radon Web site www.TakeActionOn Radon.uiuc.edu. Information also is available at the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Radon Program at (800) 325-1245.