Radioactive gas is seeping into many Utah homes and families don’t even know it. For some, by the time they find out, it’s too late.
Jan Polson only discovered her home had high levels of radon after she was diagnosed with stage three lung cancer in 2007. She shared her survival story with the Utah Department of Environmental Quality in an effort to save other families from suffering the same fate.
“'You have lung cancer and it's not operable.”’ And I said, 'So what's my prognosis?' And he said, 'I would say four months,'" Polson said.
Polson, who was never a smoker, started to investigate what could have caused her lung cancer and that’s when she learned about radon.
She reviewed her real estate records to see if a radon test had been done on their home at the time of purchase. One had, but because radon levels came back at 2.2 picocuries, it wasn’t brought up during the sale of the home.
The Environmental Protection Agency suggests homeowners take action when indoor radon levels are 4 picocuries per liter or higher.
Unaware of the dangers of radon, the Polsons did not retest their home after they did a massive remodel which included a new walk-out basement. After her diagnosis, they tested again.
“It came back at 24.9 picocuries, which is more than six times the action level,” Polson said.
Because radon is a gas, it can get in where solids can’t. The radioactive gas comes from decaying Uranium contained in the rock and soil under home foundations.
Summit County Health Department Director Phil Bondurant said a home’s basement is typically the main entry point for radon gas.
“Through cracks and fissures in the granite, it seeps into our homes and our basements,” Bondurant said. “And, I believe, behind smoking and tobacco use, is the number two cause of lung cancer in the United States.”
According to the DEQ, homes in Wasatch County have extremely high levels of radon but relatively low rates of testing. The latest data from June 2019 shows the average radon in Wasatch County homes is 10.2 pCi/L. Homes in Summit County average 5.2 pCi/L. You can find a complete list of radon testing averages in all Utah counties here.
Bondurant encourages people to have their homes tested for radon. Both the Summit County and Wasatch County health departments sell radon test kits for $10 with lab analysis included.
If a radon test does show high levels of the cancer-causing gas, a remediation system can be installed at a cost of around $1,500.
After having her right lung removed, Polson was later diagnosed with brain cancer. She said she wishes she had known about the dangers of radon.
“People don't want to talk about it because there's a stigma attached because people think, if you have lung cancer, you must have been a smoker, so somehow you deserve it,” Polson said. “But if you're living in a home that you think is safe and it's not, you don't have a choice. So, test your home for radon.”
Radon test kits are available at the Summit County Health Department's Park City office at 650 Round Valley Drive.
The DEQ suggests homeowners test for radon every two years, even with a mitigation system, to make sure that the system is still functioning properly.
Find a list of certified radon professionals here.
