Half of all homes in Larimer County are impacted by harmful levels of radon, a colorless, odorless gas that seeps up from the soil and can pose serious health risks.
To help people better grasp the issue, local health officials are taking part in Radon Awareness Month. Organizations like the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment, Colorado State University Extension, and the City of Fort Collins are encouraging testing for the issue.
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Radon comes from uranium deposits and is a naturally occurring byproduct that moves through the earth. From the soil, the gas can seep into people’s homes through cracks and holes in foundations and crawl spaces.
Once it’s inside a home, prolonged exposure can cause cancer. Radon is the second highest cause of lung cancer after smoking.
The only way to know if it's in a home is to use a test kit.
“It enters our air and in a confined space, such as your home, your basement, like lower rooms in your home. Those areas can start to accumulate radon levels because there's not a whole lot of ventilation in those spaces. And then this can move around your house,” said Lea Schneider, the Environmental Health Planner for Larimer County. “So you’ll want to test your home for radon on a regular basis, just to make sure that your radon levels are staying under control.”
The county offers free radon test kits that locals can pick up from multiple locations or ordered online. The test kits have pre-paid postage to the lab, making it easy to drop the kit in the mail afterward. Schneider said test results should take about a week.
“These short-term tests are recommended to be left out at a about a height of about four feet, in your lowest level where you have occupancy. So that could be a basement or a first floor of a home, or even if you’re on the second floor of an apartment complex, it’s still fine,” said Schneider. “Make sure you don't have any open windows and that you're not using a box fan in your attic or anything like that. You want the air to be still.”
If results come back positive, health officials recommend hiring someone to mitigate the problem. Most of the time, it’s necessary to hire a company to do the work, but in some small cases, the work can be done at home. The state also has a low-income mitigation program through the Colorado State Department of Health and Environment.
Health officials believe it’s important for everyone to have their home tested, regardless of the age of the house or if they’re renters.
“Newer homes are usually a little more airtight because we're trying to be more conservative and save energy,” said Schneider. “But I don't want to distinguish between either, no matter your situation, whether you're a renter or a homeowner, if you live in an apartment, if you live in a manufactured home, we always recommend testing.”
Free test kits are now available in the following places in Larimer County:
- Larimer County Department of Health and Environment, 1525 Blue Spruce Drive - 2nd Floor, Fort Collins
- Larimer County Department of Health and Environment, 200 Peridot Avenue, Loveland
- Estes Park Town Hall Police Department Main Lobby, 170 MacGregor Avenue, Estes Park
- Red Feather Lakes Library, 71 Firehouse Lane, Red Feather Lakes
- Berthoud Community Library District, 236 Welch Ave, Berthoud
