COLORADO SPRINGS — The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is offering free radon test kits as officials warn that half of Colorado homes have elevated radon levels. Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer for people who do not have a history of smoking, according to the American Cancer Society.
One Colorado woman has experienced this firsthand. Heidi Onda describes herself as a lifelong health enthusiast. But her world turned upside down in 2018 when she was diagnosed with stage 3 inoperable lung cancer, with doctors telling her she had 4 to 6 months left to live.
"How could I have cancer? How could I have late-stage cancer? And how on earth could it be lung cancer? Because I didn't have any known risk factors," Onda said.
Onda said it wasn't until her son, who is an environmental engineer, asked her about a deadly gas that she learned about the dangers of radon.
"His head was spinning, and the first thing he asked me was, what's the radon level of the house, mom? And I had no idea what he was talking about," Onda said. "We went ahead and tested the home that we had been living in for 20 years at that point. It was twice the level of actionable as defined from the EPA," Onda said.
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas with no color, odor, or taste. It can seep into buildings and homes through foundation cracks and small openings, typically around pumps, drains and crawl spaces.
David Wright with Expertech Environmental has around 20 years of experience mitigating homes. He says radon is formed when uranium is broken down into soil, rocks, and water.
"So as the snow melts in the mountains and the water drains through the mountains and it comes into our water table, it brings the radon and uranium with it," Wright said.
Wright said that because of this, radon levels fluctuate and change.
"That's why the EPA recommends that people should be getting their house tested every couple years," Wright said.
He said typically radon is going to be the highest in January, so now is a good time to test.
"When it's really cold outside and you open your front door, you feel that cold air just rush into your home. That's reduced atmospheric pressure. That draws more radon into the home," Wright said.
The EPA considers 4 picocuries per liter or higher a dangerous radon level that requires your home to be mitigated.
"The newer the home, the typically the worse the radon problem," Wright said. "If you're here between Colorado Springs and Pueblo, you're probably over an 80% chance overall of having elevated radon levels in your home.”
To know if your home has dangerous levels of radon, you can take a test. CDPHE offers free at-home radon test kits. The Pueblo County Department of Health is also offering free test kits this month.
The kits take around 48 hours to complete. Just open it up, place it on your counter or in your basement and make sure to label the time and date, in 2 days ship it back. A lab will test it and send you the results.
"Had I known, I would have done this 20 years prior," Onda said.
Onda says she installed a permanent radon detector in her home. Wright said this is a great option to track radon levels more consistently.
“I would recommend starting with a monitor like this, the Airthings Corentium Home. This is a long-term radon monitor. This is going to give you your daily average, your weekly average, and your monthly average. And these things only run about $100,” Wright said.
Wright said he sells long-term radon monitors so people can stay up to date if they need to mitigate their house. If high levels of radon are detected Wright and his team will be able to set a system to push the radon outside the home.
“If you're going to work with a radon professional for measurement or mitigation, visit Dora.com,” Wright said. “You'll get the Office of Radon Professionals, and you can check and verify by their name if they're licensed or not.
Onda said radon tests and monitors save lives, and since her diagnosis, Onda has gone through chemotherapy and radiation and has been cancer-free since 2020.
"I've now been able to witness two weddings in my family of my children and two grandchildren, and another one on the way,” Onda said. “The return on investment is priceless. Test, don't guess, fix if necessary so you can have a long life and spend it with the people that you love doing the things that you love," Onda said.
To receive a free radon test kit and learn more about radon safety and mitigation, visit the CDPHE website.
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