Elkhorn Logan Valley Public Health Department has completed its 2013 radon kit distribution and analysis for returned kits for Burt, Cuming, Madison and Stanton Counties. Over 300 home owners picked up free home radon test kits during January and February of 2013. Of those that completed the test kit and sent it in for analysis, results showed that the average picocurie per liter (pCi/L) was 6.7 in Burt County, 6.2 in Cuming County, 8.6 for Madison County and 7.7 for Stanton County. The recommended upper limit for testing is 4 picocuries per liter (pCi/L). The range for the kits sent in from the four counties this year was .7 – 31.5 (pCi/L).
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), it is recommended that homes with radon levels of 4 picocuries per liter or more be fixed to reduce risk of developing lung cancer. Most homes can be successfully mitigated using a standard radon mitigation system.
Radon is a cancer causing natural radioactive gas that you can’t see, smell or taste. Radon comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in the soil, rock and water. It can enter the home through tiny holes and cracks in the foundation, walls, drinking water or through the ground. Radon is the number one cause of lung cancer among non-smokers and is responsible for about 21,000 lung cancer deaths every year.
Nearly 60% of the homes in Nebraska which have been tested for radon in the past twenty years have had high levels of radon levels. One out of every two radon tests conducted in the state is above 4(pCi/L). The Nebraska statewide average radon level is 6.3.