Test your home during National Radon Action Month

The City of St. Charles would like to advise all residents that January is National Radon Action Month.

Radon gas is found all over the United States and comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water and enters buildings, including homes, through cracks and other holes in the foundation.

Radon gas, which is odorless, tasteless and invisible, is classified as a carcinogen.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports that action should be taken to reduce the level of radon within a home if testing indicates levels of 4 picocuries per liter of air or higher. The average indoor radon level within Kane County is 5.07 pCi/L and sampling within area codes 60174 and 60175 indicate average levels of 5.3 and 4.7 pCi/L respectively.

The building code within the city of St. Charles requires that all new homes have a passive Radon Removal System (no fan) installed at the time of construction and property owner testing is encouraged.

Short-term test kits are inexpensive and available at hardware and home improvement stores. Depending upon the kit chosen, they will remain in the home from two to 90 days. If an issue is identified, radon removal systems can be up to 99 percent effective in mitigating a problem.

Anyone with questions on Radon can contact the Building and Code Enforcement Division of the Community Development Department at (630) 377-4406 or the fire department at (630) 377-4458.