Not everything that is natural is healthful for us.
Take radon, for instance, a colorless, tasteless and odorless gas naturally present in the ground. It’s also the second-leading cause of lung cancer. Iowa has an especially high incidence of radon.
Radon is formed by the breaking down of uranium in rock, soil and water. The gas moves up through the ground to the air above and into buildings through foundation cracks and other openings, such as for utilities.
Any building can have a radon problem, no matter its age. When buying a home or a building to be used as a business, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends asking the seller for recent radon test results. If there has been no recent test, make this a condition of the sale.
Your Dallas County Health Department includes Environmental Health services, a resource for residents to use for help with radon gas questions. You may contact Environmental Health for a radon test kit, available for $8 at 25747 N Ave., Adel, and for help if your home tests high.
Order a test kit by emailing to phn@dallascountyiowa.gov. Read more at the Dallas County Heath Department website.
Another good source of accurate information on radon is the American Lung Association.
Ann Cochran is the health navigation coordinator in the Dallas County Public Heath Department.
