Gilpin County – The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has designated January as National Radon Action Month to highlight the danger of Radon gas and the ways to mitigate the buildup of this gas in homes. The EPA motto for the month is “Test, Fix, Save a life.”
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GILPIN COUNTY – The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has designated January as National Radon Action Month to highlight the danger of Radon gas and the ways to mitigate the buildup of this gas in homes.
The EPA motto for the month is “Test, Fix, Save a life.”
It is estimated that Americans spend up to 90% of their time indoors, which makes indoor air quality (IAQ) an important health concern. Even though Gilpin County residents are likely to spend far more time outdoors than that, they are still susceptible.
Radon gas occurs naturally when radioactive elements in the soil decay. It is an odorless and colorless gas that can seep into houses and concentrate in basements and the lower levels of houses.
There are no immediate effects to breathing in the radioactive Iiotopes of Radon gas, but over the long term, it can cause lung cancer. Long term exposure to Radon gas is the leading cause of lung cancer deaths in nonsmokers, killing around 21,000 Americans annually.
The Gilpin County Public Health Department is participating in National Radon Action Month by promoting free Radon test kits and offering resources to help homeowners who need to mitigate homes with high Radon gas levels.
There is a separate webpage on their website dedicated to providing Radon information including requesting a free Radon test kit.
Gilpin Community Health Specialist Marie Larson provided an example of a Gilpin homeowner who was able to successfully mitigate their home last year from Radon gas. The homeowner lives in the Lump Gulch area, and conducted a first test last winter when windows are closed and there is very little air circulation with the outside.
The first test showed Radon gas levels above the recommended standard, so they conducted a second longer test, which also showed higher than recommended levels. After consultations with the Gilpin Public Health Director Alisa Witt, the homeowner decided to proceed with mitigating their home in the summer when construction is easier to do.
At the bottom of the Radon Information webpage, under Gilpin County Radon Resources, is a list of licensed contractors. The homeowner picked John Cardos of American Radon LLC because he was the one who called back.
Cardos came up for an inspection and worked with the homeowner to locate where to put the equipment so that it was effective but out of the way. The project was completed last summer in a day and the homeowner had to pay about $1,100 for the inspection and installation. Testing after the installation showed very low levels of Radon gas in the house.
Installations involve putting fans where the Radon gas will accumulate, and then piping it outside where it is harmlessly dispersed into the wind. The cost will vary depending on the size of the fans, the length of the vents, and the complexity of the installation.
The fans make a little noise, but the homeowner said that wasn’t significant, and the system is warranted in case a fan fails. The system can also be upgraded to bigger fans at any time if periodic checks show an increase in Radon gas levels.
Since all of Gilpin County is classified by the EPA on their Map of Radon Zones as a Zone 1 area (highest potential for dangerous indoor radon levels), Larson encourages homeowners to use the County website to request a free Radon Test Kit.
The test kit request form is at gilpincounty.colorado.gov/departments-offices/public-health/radon-information. Click on the Testing for Radon link then click on the Free Radon Test Kit link.
Office hours for Gilpin County Public Health are 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Contact Marie Larson 720-669-6989 or mlarson@gilpincounty.org for more information about testing for hazardous levels of Radon gases in the home, or the Colorado Low-income Radon Mitigation Assistance Program (LIRMA).