New Mexico offers free radon kits

By Kathy Helms
Diné Bureau

WINDOW ROCK — The New Mexico Environment Department is offering free radon test kits for New Mexico residents during the month of January — National Radon Action Month — to raise awareness about the radioactive gas that is the second leading cause of lung cancer in America.

Radon causes between 15,000 and 22,000 lung cancer deaths each year in the United States, or about 60 lung cancer deaths a day, according to the National Academy of Sciences.

Radon is a naturally occurring, colorless, odorless, radioactive gas that exists in most soils. Radon comes from uranium found in soil and rock. As uranium decays it produces radium which, in turn, decays and produces radon that filters into homes and buildings through crawlspaces, cracks in foundations, basements and other openings.

In the case of some Navajos, radon enters the home through the dirt floor of the family hogan.

Radon disperses in very low concentrations outdoors but can be extremely harmful when trapped in buildings. The gas also can be present in drinking water, especially if the water is supplied by a well.

The breakdown of radon releases alpha, beta and gamma radiations that can damage lungs when inhaled. The only way to detect whether a home has radon is to test for it.

Previous surveys of homes tested for radon in New Mexico found that approximately one in four, or 25 percent, exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s recommended action level of 4 picocuries per liter for radon.

In 2003, the Church Rock Uranium Mining Project, a community-based project started by Churchrock Chapter, began a house study on the effects of uranium in areas of past uranium mining and tailings sites, looking at air and water quality.

Vivian Craig of Navajo EPA’s Radon Program and Gerald Brown of the CRUMP project placed 173 radon canisters in homes to measure indoor air quality. Of those 173, approximately 40 homes had elevated readings and were re-tested.

Prior to the 2003 survey, no new radon monitoring had been conducted in the area since 1988. Annual average outdoor radon levels were found to be 10-20 times greater than regional background levels, with the highest recorded at the proposed Springstead Estates housing project site.
Secretary Ron Curry of New Mexico Environment Department said radon often goes undetected.

“Residents should make it a priority to test their homes for this deadly gas. This is a serious health threat that can be avoided.”

Navajo EPA recommends that families whose homes measure above the 4 picocuries per liter for radon, and whose drinking water comes from wells, also have their water tested.

Radon tests are simple to conduct. To obtain a free radon test kit, contact Michael A. Taylor, NMED Indoor Radon Outreach Coordinator at (505) 827-1093 or at Michael.Taylor@state.nm.us.

Kits also be purchased at hardware stores.

Information: www.nmenv.state.nm.us/nmrcb/radon.html or http://www.epa.gov/iaq/radon/