Experts urge Utah homeowners to test for radon levels

SALT LAKE CITY — According to new data, nearly half of Utah homes that were tested for radon showed levels at or above what the World Health Organization considers safe, prompting experts to urge residents to test for the invisible, odorless gas.

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas created when uranium and radium break down in soil.

TJ Mellars, general manager of Utah Radon Services said homes often act like vacuums, pulling the gas inside where it can release particles of radiation into the lungs.

“Kind of odd in that sense that there’s so much lung cancer in the state of Utah, yet not a lot of smoking,” Mellars said. “Radon is going to be a big part of that. When we’re living in a high radon concentration, it increases our risk of lung cancer.”

New data from Alpha Energy Laboratories, where Utah’s test kits are analyzed, shows Wasatch and Box Elder Counties recorded the highest detection rates. Nearly 70% of homes there had radon test results (at least 1,000) at or above the WHO’s mitigation level. Cache County followed closely with radon found in 68% of tested homes, with Tooele County at 53% and Utah County at 52%.

For some Utahns, the dangers of radon became clear only after serious health consequences. Charlie McQuinn, from Cottonwood Heights said he had never heard of the gas until after he was diagnosed with lung cancer and lymphoma in 2011.

After his doctor told him his lung cancer was likely related to radon, his family tested their home, which revealed extremely high levels.

McQuinn, a non‑smoker, said he wasn’t expected to survive his cancer but is now healthy. He urges others to take the risk seriously.

“The cost of the kit would be very minimal compared with all of what goes on with lung cancer — the pain, the suffering, the cost,” McQuinn said. “Everyone ought to test periodically to make sure they don’t have a high level of radon in their home.”

Real estate professionals also recommend radon testing for buyers, noting that most sellers agree to pay for mitigation during a home sale.

“In Utah … the agent is able to ask the seller to mitigate that or ask for a credit or different things,” said Ryan Kirkham, past president of Utah Association of Realtors. ‘The point of transaction, because things are getting tested, a lot of times this comes up. It’s not mandatory. The seller doesn’t have to pay for anything and the buyer doesn’t have to test. But I think good realtors that are trained and know about radon are trying to get their clients to test for radon.”

Kirkham said winter is considered an especially important time to test because closed windows and changing air pressure can trap radon inside.

“We encourage buyers to do tests and there’s different tests,” he said. “The home inspectors, a lot of them are certified. And they bring in a machine that can test … a 48-hour test. There’s these little carbon kits you can get where people can self-test.”

Experts recommend testing every couple of years.

Utah Radon Services offers free radon test kits through its website and by phone.

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