The Environmental Protection Agency has determined that Virginia’s Fairfax County and Maryland’s Montgomery County are among those inthe region most likely to have dangerous levels of radon, a gas that has been linked to cancer.
On the occasion of National Radon Awareness Month this month, experts urge local residents to test their homes for levels of the gas.
“It is high because of the uranium in the rock and the soil,” said Nancy Bredhoff, president of the National Radon Safety Board.
Uranium decays to radium, which further breaks down into radon, making uranium-rich areas most likely to produce increased levels of radon. When houses are built in those areas, the gas is then trapped.
“[Radon] is found outside everywhere,” said Kristin Marstiller, senior program manager with the Home and Community Division of the National Safety Council. “What becomes a problem is where it builds up inside an enclosed space.”
Loudoun and Arlington counties in Virginia and Prince George’s County in Maryland are classified as having the second-highest potential for radon exposure on the EPA’s three-zone scale.
According to a map of radon zones, online at www.epa.gov/radon/zonemap.html, homes in Fairfax and Montgomery counties have the potential to trap 4 picocuries per liter of radon in the air, based on evaluations by the EPA and U.S. Geological Survey.
“If you test 4 picocuries per liter of air, it is recommended by the EPA to mitigate; 2 or above, consider mitigation,” said Angel Anderson Price, executive director of the Radon Proficiency Program, which is run by the National Environmental Health Association.
For area residents, what may seem like jargon means that testing for the gas could be a matter of life and death. According to the EPA, the odorless gas is responsible for 21,000 lung cancer deaths in the United States every year, and is the No. 1 cause of lung cancer for nonsmokers.
Not everyone subscribes to the EPA’s numbers, however. It is difficult to distinguish between lung cancer deaths caused by smoking and those caused by radon, said Keith Keemer, environmental specialist with the District Department of the Environment.
“[Radon is] very easy to detect and very easy to fix,” Marstiller assures. “Unfortunately, the more airtight and energy-efficient your home, the more easily radon can build up in your home.”
Testing kits for radon levels can be obtained by contacting county health departments and are available at most hardware stores. The price of the kit includes shipping to and from the lab where the sample is tested, as well as lab analysis and a written report sent back to the residents.
For more information
» In Virginia:
VA Department of Health: 804-864-8182; www.vdh.virginia.gov/epi/publichealthtoxicology/pdf/Radon.pdf
Fairfax County: www.fairfaxcounty.gov/hd/resourceair.htm
Arlington County: www.arlingtonva.us/Departments/HumanServices/services/health/HumanServicesServicesHealthPublicHealth.aspx
» In Maryland:
Montgomery County: 240-777-7700; www.montgomerycountymd.gov/deptmpl.asp?url=/content/dep/AQ/radon/home.asp
Prince George’s County: www.goprincegeorgescounty.com/Government/AgencyIndex/Health/index.asp
» In the District:
Department of Health: 202-671-5000; doh.dc.gov/doh/site/default.asp
