c-'

--. but deadly ~oheowners face risk from this invisible gas

artha Swierczewski of Hoffman Estates, Ill. smoked for 20 years

before kicking the habit about a decade ago.

A lung scan in 2006 showed a nodule on her left lung, a biopsy confirmed the growth was malig- nant and a surgeon removed the ;entire upper lobe. When ~wi'erczewski returned to the hodpital for a follow-up appoint- ment in September, her doctor har$ded her a radon test kit and tolld her to check her home.

1 Combine smoking and radon ex osure and the risk of lung P : . cancer 1s estimated at six to 11 times thkt of smoking alone, reports the Centers for Disease Control and pievention Radon is the leading

succumb to lung cancer as a result of exposure to it.

Swierczewski and husband Gene were shocked to learn their home tested at more than double the level deemed acceptable by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Radon is a radioactive gas you

I cause of lung cancer among non- $okers and the second leading , . cause among smokers. The National

1 Academy of Sciences estimates up Pii,.j i t j .:) 1 , , i 1i.l I:,-:,; rnis radon mitigation

tb 22,000 people each year I

system reduces the deadly gas in the Swierczewskis' home.

40 I Angie's UsP I January 2008

Univer: urbane

, - 3 .

-> . -3 C

a.- L z- .. B - .. >

;ity of Illinois Extension xt.uiuc.edu/houseplants I \ i 8 The hen-and-chickens plant can tolerate

neglect and is great for beginner gardeners. Ohio State University Extension extension.osu.edu/lawn~and~garden/houseplants.php

Purdue University Extension hort.purdue.edu/ext/garden~pubs.html#Houseplants

, Here are a few plant suggestions for your home:

Snake plant or mother-in-law5 tongue comes in many shapes, colors and textures, and will grow in bright sun or under a dark staircase. It's extremely drought-tolerant but can stand being wet as well. All parts of this plant are poisonous if ingested.

Heartleaf or common 1 Philodendron does best with evenly moist soil and is well-

adapted to dim rooms with dry air. It can also tolerate weeks of neglect. This plant

i is poisonous if ingested.

The ZZ plant (Zamioculcas

zamiifolia) is fairly new on the market, but it's adapted well to indoor living, McCulloh says. A member of the aroid family, it has the look of a succulent. All parts are poisonous if ingested.

Flowenng maple has umbrella- shaped flowers in pink, red, orange, peach, yellow or white. It's a beautiful and lesser-known plant, yet it's forgiving and easy to care for. It takes light shade and moderate moisture. 8

Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp, freelance writer, author, speaker and photographer, is an Advanced Master Gardener and a national director of the Garden Writers Association. A self-proclaimed trial-and- error gardener, she also enjoys spending time with her dog, Penn, and cat, Cowgirl.

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can't see, smell or taste. In 1900, German 1 chemist Friedrich Ernst

I Dorn discovered the I 1

which is produced by the natural decay f of uranium in the soil. i .I

~ I t h o u ~ h European F E i

miners reportedly had j , bleen dymg of a myste- \ :.

dasn't until 1970 that ' the U.S. government iT determined radon was the cause of lung cancer.

1 The EPA designates anuary as National

Radon Action Month, as radon tends to build bp when doors and bindows are tightly 1 closed in the middle b f winter. making it the best time to test for \he most accurate

Martha an1 kesults (see sidebar). khocked wh;" the... h-mn +me+<

Radon is measured radon /eve/ the EPA ,,, ., ,,,,,,,,.,. 3' Gene Swierczewski were

,, , ,,, , ,, at more than double the E ~ W E k a~rnntshln

,picocuries per liter, the radioactivity of the air. because it's not visible," he says. The EPA recommends mitigation "After 20 years of the EPA national if the level in a home is 4pCiL radon program, no more than one o r higher. in four homes has been tested."

"People are simply not aware of A recent survey of Angie's List the presence of radon and its risk," members mirrors this startling Martha says. statistic: only 31 percent have tested

Bill Angell, president of the for radon. The EPA estimates one American Association of Radon in 15 homes, or about 7 percent, Scientists and Technologists, agrees. has elevated radon levels. However, "It's an easy issue for us to ignore 29 percent of Angie's List members

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pipe to Gent the airlgas up and /out past the

I highest eave. A fan creates suction. "Think of it as a central vacuum system," I Whislqr says.

SO+ new homes have radon resistant features, whicdinclude careful sealin$ and caulking, a !gas-bermeable layer of grdvel on top of the soil cbvered with plastic sheeting and a vent pipe installed from bottom to top t f house. -.---

qsing five factors to - ..-- . dete/mine radon potential ;

- indoor radon measure- medts, geology, aerial radioactivity, soil perme- ability and foundation type - /he EPA created a map

tadon 'Ones throughout shows how radon is vented out of a home, above the thd country and found highest eave.

g-dater concentrations of transaction, although many states the gas appearing in the northern suggest it. (TO learn more, visit epa. stdtes. This is due to Ice Age glaciers gov/iaq/whereyoulive.html) depositing debris filled with "There's nothing worse than utanium, which produces radon people going to sell their house and aS it decomposes. realizing they've been living with a

I Minnesota is currently the only dangerously high level of radon," s/rate that requires mitigation in Whisler says. dew homes, and Michigan and Martha is healthy today, but

I

Washington state have requirements after her brush with lung cancer, (II counties where many homes have the Swierczewskis hired Whisler to elevated levels of radon. Illinois is install a mitigation system in their the only state to require notification home for $1,180. They say it's a /that a buyer should test for radon small price to pay for peace /during a residential real estate of mind.

answering the survey say testing rkealed high radon levels.

1 Radon creeps into homes through cracks and holes in the foundation, floors and walls; drains; sump pumps; loose pipes; and construction joints. Any type of home, regardless of whether it has a basement, crawl space or sits on a concrete slab, is suscep- tible to radon. The house acts like a vacuum, pulling the inert gas upward from the soil. Therefore, lower levels of homes tend to have higher concentrations of radon than a second or third story

/ Andre French of Atlanta had his two-story home tested in 1999 and again in 2001. The first test khowed a radon level of 4.2pCi.L in his basement, and the second test produced about the same results; both were clearly over the amount the EPA considers acceptable.

French used to spend a lot of time in his basement, which houses a library, file room and workshop. He now leaves the basement door shut and goes downstairs only when he needs something. "I'd consider fixing it," French says, "but it's pretty low on my list of priorities right now. There's always something to do when you own a home."

The cost of radon mitigation - a process used to reduce radon concentrations - in a single resi- dence normally ranges from $800 to $2,500, the EPA reports, with an average price of $1,200.

Pbi..!io la J.u \.L;\i:[)i..: Rich Whisler, a mitigation specialist, installed this radon removal system over a sump pump in a customer's home.

k c h Whisler, a licensed mitiga- tion specialist in West Chicago, Ill., believes the EPA should lower the radon level considered accept- able because he says evidence is mounting that 4pCf i is dangerous. He points out that even at this level, the EPA estimates about seven people in 1,000 are at risk for lung cancer. "How much is OK?" he asks. "We don't know. But getting it below 2pCA is not difficult."

Whisler, who owns Accurate Radon, uses active soil depressuriza- tion to lower radon levels. He drills a hole in the floor on the lowest level of the home and installs PVC

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