Check Your Home for Hidden Radon Gas: Protect Your Health

You might not know it, but there’s a sneaky, invisible gas that could be lurking in your home. It’s called radon, and it’s something Michigan officials want you to be aware of. Radon comes from the ground and can seep into homes through tiny cracks and gaps. The scary part? You can’t see, smell, or taste it, but long-term exposure can lead to lung cancer. Radon is a big deal. It’s the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers and the second-leading cause overall. Every year, around 20, 000 people die from radon-related lung cancer, and about 2, 900 of them never smoked. Just imagine, if 1, 000 people who never smoked were exposed to radon levels of 20 pCi/L (a unit of measurement for radioactivity), about 36 of them could get lung cancer. That’s a risk 35 times higher than drowning!But here’s the good news: there’s something you can do about it. Michigan officials recommend testing your home for radon every two to five years. If you have a radon mitigation system, check it every two years to make sure it’s working. Radon is everywhere in Michigan. All 83 counties have homes with elevated radon levels. In fact, one in four homes in the state has radon levels higher than what’s considered safe. So, it’s important to take action. To learn more about radon and how to protect your family, visit Michigan. gov/Radon or call the Indoor Radon hotline at 800-RADONGAS. And if you want to know more about lung cancer, head to Michigan. gov/Cancer.