Colorless, odorless and deadly

Testing for radon is only way to know for sure

When Kim Bradley’s son moved into his new basement apartment and found high levels of radon, she was alarmed. Kim, a former geological engineer well versed in the health risks of radon exposure, knew radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer, and that smokers living in a home with elevated radon levels have an even higher risk.

She needed to help her son reduce this health risk.

“When I started talking to my friends about radon, I discovered none of them knew what I was talking about,” Kim recounted. She was shocked how few people were aware of the naturally occurring radioactive gas from rock and soil that you can’t taste, smell or see.

Kim advised her son to have a conversation immediately with his landlord. Her son is now working with the property owner to reduce the level of radon in his apartment.

DOH recently began a statewide social media campaign in English and Spanish to increase public awareness about the dangers of radon in Washington. We worked with Spanish-language radio stations to run a public service announcement and translated our radon webpage into Spanish.

In mid-January, DOH co-hosted a radon forum with the Environmental Protection Agency in Camas, a small community in southwest Washington. Nearly 100 people attending the event visited resource tables, heard personal stories about radon and spoke with health experts. They also heard how to reduce risk if radon is found in the home or workplace. Tina Echeverria, a research investigator at DOH, discussed the risks of radon and the importance of getting your home tested.

“It’s easy to test,” Echeverria said. “It’s inexpensive and it can save your life.”

The increased communication has been working! Our Radon Program has been busy answering calls from people with a variety of concerns — whether it’s wanting to know more about radon, or what to do if they’ve found elevated results, like Kim did.

Some areas of our state have higher radon risks based on the geology. You can find test results from across the state using our mobile-friendly radon risk map called WTN On The Go. Regardless of where you live, we recommended testing your home for radon. If high levels (4 pCi/L or higher) are discovered, the EPA recommends taking steps to reduce radon in your home.

Visit the Department’s radon page for more information.