1997 Montana Radon Study Confirms Statewide High Radon

01/14/98 BOZEMAN - - Forty-seven percent of Montana homes have enough radon that the government considers it a health risk.

The high radon readings found in a recent Montana State University study of over 10,600 Montana homes suggests that Montanans should determine the radon level in their own homes and consider lowering higher radon levels, says Mike Vogel, Montana State University Extension housing specialist.

Vogel conducted the study for the Montana Department of Environmental Quality in cooperation with the American Lung Association of Montana. It followed a 1992 study of 830 homes that had found 40 percent of Montana homes with high radon.

Radon is a radioactive gas that has no color or smell. Some occurs naturally in nearly all soil, though in very small quantities. It also occurs in water. The Environmental Protection Agency recommends no more than four picoCurries be present in a liter of air. A picoCurrie is a measurement of radioactivity. The state average for this study was 7.3 picoCurries per liter. In comparison, the U.S. EPA estimates that the average radon concentration in a home is 1.3 picoCurries per liter.

"The elevated radon levels need to be put in the context of Montana's overall low cancer risk," he adds.

Sam Sperry of the Montana Vital Statistics Bureau says that Montanans have about 55.2 lung cancer deaths per 100,000 people compared to 67.5 per 100,000 average throughout the United States.

Nationally, research indicates that lung cancer due to radon may cause about 15,000 deaths per year. Most lung cancer risk is associated with smoking tobacco, says Vogel, but most studies show that the risk of lung cancer from smoking increases more than 25 percent for a person who lives in a radon environment.

Radon's role in causing lung cancer is still being evaluated, says Vogel. A massive multi-country study should settle questions about radon's danger by about the year 2000, according to the September issue of the Journal of the American Cancer Institute.

However, Montana law based on EPA guidelines requires a disclosure clause in a home buy-sell agreement that describes radon and the fact that some Montana buildings have radon levels higher than EPA guidelines. Because of that, potential home buyers often ask about the radon level, though radon testing is not mandatory.

"You won't know whether your home has radon until you test," says Vogel. "Houses side-by-side have been tested that have radically different radon levels." Minimizing the radon concentration generally involves pulling the air from under the foundation where radon can accumulate above the soil, and venting it outside. This design is also used for crawl-space radon correction.

"A subslab ventillation system costs $1,500 to $3,000 to add to an existing home, but I know of some that have been installed for less than $800 in new construction," says Vogel.

Basically all counties in Montana have a high percentage of homes with over the EPA "action level" of radon. County comparisons of radon levels from this study are not appropriate, says Vogel, because of differences in the number of homes studied in each county. Some counties had as few as one test done and others had as many as 2,000 tests.

"Virtually all Montana counties with over 150 tests had between 28 and 65 percent of those tests show more radon than the EPA action level," says Vogel.

To Get More Information About Radon . . .

Individuals can get two publications describing radon and how to control it in the home for free by ordering MontGuides 9305 and 9306 from their local MSU county Extension agent. For a handling fee of $1, the publications are also available from MSU Extension Publications, P.O. Box 172040, Bozeman, MT 59717. Vogel also has detailed information about radon available that is appropriate for builders.

Free information on many indoor air quality issues, including radon, is available from the "Healthy Indoor Air for America's Homes" website at www.montana.edu/wwwcxair.

Educational packets on all aspects of indoor air quality designed for local educators are available for $38 from Vogel by calling (406) 994-3451.

Radon test kits often can be purchased from local building and hardware stores. If not available from your local stores, contact your local health department or the local MSU county Extension offices.

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