October is Radon Awareness Month and the Department of Environmental Protection is urging all Pennsylvanians to test their homes for radon, an invisible gas that is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. High levels of radon have been detected in all 67 Pennsylvania counties. Testing is easy, inexpensive and the only way to know if your home has a radon problem. Radon gas is produced from the natural breakdown of trace amounts of uranium in the soil. It seeps into homes through cracks in the foundation or walls, construction joints even through the water supply.
Homeowners also can hire a state-certified company or individual to do the testing.
If you do test your home, it's important to use devices or testing companies that are certified to perform radon testing or mitigation work in Pennsylvania. With another Pennsylvania Earth Minute , I m Susan Rickens.