Radon, a colorless, odorless gas, is found anywhere there is decaying uranium with an escape route to the atmosphere. Radon can enter a home through imperfections in the floors and walls when there is contact with the soil. Breathed into the lungs, radon can cause cell damage that may lead to lung cancer. Fortunately, testing for the presence of radon is easy and inexpensive. Extension publishes information on radon testing and mitigation.

The video below explains what radon is, how it gets into your home, if you are at risk for exposure, how to test for radon and what steps to take to mitigate radon if it is detected in your home. It shows how to manage radon in an existing home and what steps to take to prevent radon problems when building a new home. The video is also available on a DVD, for $5. 

 Short-term tests remain in your home from two to four days. Long-term tests remain in your home for more than 90 days. If you need results quickly, such as during the inspection of a pending home sale, a short-term test followed by a second short-term test may be useful. A long-term test will give you a reading that is more likely to tell you your home's year-round average radon level than a short-term test.

For more information and radon questions, please contact Art Nash on our toll-free radon hotline at 800-478-8324 or alnashjr@alaska.edu