Radon is a colorless, odorless, radioactive gas. It forms naturally from the radioactive decay of uranium, which is found at various levels of bedrock.
Radon can enter a home through imperfections in the floors and walls when there is contact between the home and the soil. Examples include dirt-floor crawl spaces, unsealed sumps and cracks in slab-on-grade floors, utility penetrations and the tiny pore spaces in concrete block walls. In general, a basement provides a large surface area that contacts soil material, so it is a perfect place for radon to enter. Once it moves freely throughout the home’s indoor air, occupants breathe it into their lungs, where it can cause cell damage that may lead to lung cancer.
With your home about as closed up as it will be this year, January is the time to test for radon gas in your home.
Through a radon outreach agreement with the state, Extension has free radon test kits. Not only is the kit free, but the postage to the lab on the East Coast and the analysis report are also covered.
If you haven’t tested in the past five years, retesting is recommended. Residents of Anchorage, Eagle River and Mat-Su are also encouraged to test following the 2018 Anchorage earthquake. To get a test kit for a home or business in the Anchorage bowl area, call 786-6330, and for the rest of the state call the Alaska Radon Hotline at 800-478-8324.
Extension also has a publication and YouTube video on radon.
