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Radon

‘Pretty shocking’: Utah woman warns others about radon after cancer diagnosis

November 17, 2022 by Marshal

BY LADD EGAN
KSLTV.com

Kerri Robins is warning others about the danger of radon after she received a stage 4 cancer diagnosis for non-smoking lung cancer.

SALT LAKE CITY —Lehi – A Utah woman is warning others about the danger of radon after she received a stage 4 cancer diagnosis for non-smoking lung cancer.

“The oncologist explained that it had metastasized,” Lehi resident Kerri Robbins said. “So it had gone from my lungs to my brain.”

Doctors first discovered the brain tumors when the 65-year-old went to the emergency room in June after she started throwing up one morning and was confused.

“As I’m washing my hands I’m looking in the mirror and I don’t know why I’m there,” Robbins said.

Follow-up visits revealed the primary source as lung cancer. It wasn’t until she made an appointment with a specialist that she thought about what may have caused her cancer.

“The first thing he said was, ‘Have you had your house tested for radon?’” Robbins recalled.

She and her husband recently had their home tested. The results revealed the radon level in their home was 31.3 picocuries per liter.

The Robbins’ family home.

“30 picocuries is like smoking three packs of cigarettes every day,” said Eleanor Divver, the radon coordinator at the Utah Department of Environmental Quality. “It’s heartbreaking to hear these stories and yet I hear them every day.”

The Environmental Protection Agency’s action level for fixing a home for radon is anything higher than 4 picocuries per liter.

“I love my house. I love my neighborhood and come to find out that that’s probably what’s given me cancer,” Robbins said. “I get up the next morning and I thought, ‘I’ve got to let people know this.’”

Like most of us, Robbins spent more time at home during the pandemic. But even before the pandemic she worked at home. Her office is on the lowest level of her home, where radon typically gathers.

“I’m working in that office five days a week,” she said.

Her husband, Ron, is now going to the doctor for his own scan. He says radon wasn’t even on their radar.

“You can’t see it. You can’t smell it. You can’t taste it,” Ron Robbins said.

Radon is a radioactive gas that forms naturally in the ground as uranium and other metals break down, according to the EPA. It enters homes through cracks and gaps in the foundation.

Known as a slow and silent killer, radon causes about 21,000 lung cancer deaths every year in the U.S., the EPA said.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the Beehive State even though we have the lowest smoking rate in the nation, according to the Utah Department of Environmental Quality.

“We know that the risks are great for lung cancer,” Divver said.

Children at more at risk, Divver said, because they’re lower to the ground, breathe more often and because of the shape of their lungs.

“We see the highest levels in the winter months,” she said.

In the winter, people keep their doors and windows shut, keeping the radon trapped inside.

“I’m probably seeing the higher radon levels in newer homes because we’re making homes so airtight,” Divver said. “We’re building in areas where we used to mine. So we’re seeing it everywhere.”

The only way for Utahns to know if their home has elevated levels of the cancer-causing gas is to get a test.

Across the country, the EPA said one in 15 homes has too much radon.

The EPA recommends testing your home for radon every two years and to test after any renovations or if family members begin living in the basement.

TJ Mellars with Utah Radon Services said the good news is that you can rid your home of high radon levels with a mitigation system.

“So that the gases, instead of getting pushed up into the home have an escape route by getting sucked up through the radon pipe and then vented above the roof line.”

This week his company installed a system at the Robbins’ home.

“It’s a small expense to pay to reduce the risk of lung cancer,” Mellars said.

Mellars said the every home is different and to not forgo testing based off of assumptions or how your neighbor’s home tested.

“A lot of people think only old homes with big cracks in the foundation have radon and that’s simply not the case,” Mellars said. “New homes are just as susceptible”

Robbins is undergoing treatment and warning her neighbors and anyone who will listen about the dangers of radon.

“You’ve got to know,” she said. ”Please, get tested.”

She’s focusing on spending time with her family and friends and is staying busy baking hundreds of Christmas cookies for her neighborhood.

“I’m so incredibly blessed because there’s a lot of other people whose stories are much different than mine,” Robbins said. “I’m sure at some point in time it won’t be very pretty. But in the meantime, we’re going to take every minute we can get.”

NOTE: This article has been reposted by Optimal Home Inspections as a service to our clients. This article was edited for space considerations. For the original article see https://ksltv.com/511741/utah-woman-warns-about-radon-after-cancer-diagnosis/

New Jersey resource: NJ Dept of Environmental Protection: Radiation Protection Element

Filed Under: FYI, Radon

January is National Radon Action Month (NRAM)

January 21, 2020 by Marshal

Baby’s First Green Steps

Get your home tested for radon, it’s easy. In support of National Radon Action Month we are discounting radon measurement testing by 10%. Call, text or Book an Inspection today. Results are usually available within 48 hours of device pickup.

We are a Certified Radon Measurement Technician in NJ: MET13906

Filed Under: FYI, Radon

I have an old leaky house so I don’t have to worry about radon, right?

April 9, 2019 by Marshal

The old myth that opening windows reduces the radon in your home just won’t go away. Opening windows, leaky old houses, or any other “creative” ventilation methods don’t work and can make the situation worse.

Radon comes into your home through cracks like these in your foundation.

Radon is the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock, and water. It is everywhere, and normally that’s OK. The problem is when it concentrates in small spaces, like your home, that’s when it’s dangerous.

How does radon get inside my home?

Radon is a gas. A gas expands to fill the space it’s in. Radon is pulled up through the ground by the air pressure in your home. No matter how leaky your house is, there will be some pressure pulling air into your home. Radon gets pulled in through cracks in your foundation, floor drains, sump pumps, and french drains and can even come from the stone or concrete that makes up your foundation.

Is radon dangerous?

YES! It is the second leading cause of lung cancer – smoking is number one. About 13% of all new cancers are lung cancer. The American Cancer Society estimates that new lung cancer cases in 2019 will be about 228,150. The chance of a man getting lung cancer in his lifetime is 1 in 15; for a woman, her chances are 1 in 17.

OK, you convinced me, but it must be expensive to test.

The starting rate for a stand-alone test is about $200. Here is how we do it:

First visit

Initial Visit

We evaluate your home to determine the best place to set up your radon test instrument. This is also an opportunity for you to ask any radon questions.

First visit
Second visit

Instrument Pick Up

A pick-up is scheduled two or three days after the initial visit. This pick-up will only take a few minutes.

Second visit
Analysis

Laboratory Analysis

Your sample(s) are analyzed by an EPA-certified laboratory. You’ll receive your results within 5 business days (usually sooner).

Analysis
Review

Review the Results

We’ll set up some time that is convenient for you to discuss your results.

Review

I already have a mitigation system, so I don’t need to test it! Or, it was good the last time I checked.

You need to test to make sure your system is still working and that the ground under your home hasn’t changed. That if you’ve made any alteration to your home or grounds, haven’t changed your radon situation.

I often should I test?

I recommend you test every two years. It is not a big deal or expense, and most importantly, you’ll sleep better at night.

I am selling my house. I don’t care about radon testing, and if I do have a radon problem, I won’t be able to get top dollar for my house!

First of all, radon mitigation is a good selling point for any home. Most new homes built today have radon-resistant systems built right in. The fact that you already took care of this issue is a good thing. By the way, mitigation systems are not expensive – the average is about $1200. Considering the average price for a home in New Jersey is $326,300 – the cost for mitigation is 0.37%.

A certified radon test should ease the mind of any home purchaser. Most home buyers are going to test for radon; most of the home inspections I do has a radon test included, it’s the norm. If you, as a seller, can remove this obstacle from your home buyer’s mind, you both will be better off.

There must be something in it for you. Do you work for a radon mitigation company?

We DO NOT work for or get anything from any mitigation company or contractor. We are an NJ Licensed Home Inspection company and NJ EPA Certified Radon Technician. It is not only against the law, the NJ Consumer Protections, ASHI Client Bill of Rights, but it is also totally unethical. We are unbiased, and we will always be on your side.

Schedule your radon test today

Call (551) 261-1264, Chat, or use the Book an Inspection page and select the Radon Measurement checkbox.

Additional Resources

  • American Cancer Society – Key Statistics for Lung Cancer
  • Radon-Resistant Construction Basics and Techniques
  • Consumer’s Guide to Radon Reduction How to Fix Your Home (pdf)
  • Radon Measurement

Filed Under: FYI, Radon

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Jersey City, NJ 07306
North Jersey - Hudson County
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East Brunswick, NJ 08816
Central Jersey - Middlesex County
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