PRINCE FREDERICK, Md. — January is Radon Action Month in Calvert County, and officials want you to test your home for this radioactive gas.
The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) formally recognized Radon Action Month at their Jan. 13 meeting. Radon is a colorless, odorless, naturally occurring gas that’s found in Maryland. Radon is the result of natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rocks and water. Uranium is radioactive and is found in small amounts in the earth — when it breaks down, the gas it releases is also radioactive.
Radon becomes dangerous when it slips through the cracks in basements and the foundations of houses, and gets into the areas where people live. Without testing, people are unlikely to know their home has elevated levels of radon.
And the dangers of radon are no joke. Radon is the second-leading preventable cause of lung cancer, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that radon causes about 21,000 cancer-related deaths in the United States per year, with 2,900 of these deaths occurring among people who have never smoked. In fact, the risks of living in a home with elevated radon levels has a similar risk of lung cancer as smoking regularly.
Radon test kits can be purchased at hardware stores, online retailers or by contacting the Maryland Department of the Environment.
If you detect radon in your home, you’ll have two options: you can install a radon mitigation system in your home, which would filter out the gas, or enlist a professional to seal up any cracks where radon may be getting through. The EPA also has information on where to find radon kits and mitigation services.
You can read more about radon in this guide from the Calvert Environmental Commission.
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