Jan 8, 2015 By David Singer 3 min read

With winter temperatures cooping up homeowners, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is reminding everyone that winter is the best time to test for radioactive radon because it can become concentrated – and dangerous.

“January was picked (by the Environmental Protection Agency as radon awareness month) because it’s right in the middle of cold weather, when homes aren’t open as often and aren’t allowing the gas to escape as easily,” said DEP spokeswoman Amanda Witman.

Radon is tasteless, colorless and odorless, and considered poisonous due to its radioactivity. The gas is a byproduct of decaying uranium or thorium and can cause lung cancer.

“It’s the second-leading contributor to lung cancer behind smoking,” said American Lung Association director of environmental health Kevin M. Stewart, “and this is over an extended period of time. High concentrations can lead to instances of cancer in as little as a year to two years.”

The only way to find out if radon is at a dangerous concentration in a home is to have it tested. Tests can be purchased from hardware stores for as little as $40, according to Whitman, but consumers should make sure the cost includes lab testing. If concentrated radon is found in a home, a radon remediation specialist should be called.

“It’s not a very complex system that we install. It’s PVC pipe and an exhaust vacuum that pulls the radon up out and above the home. The systems cost about $850,” said Brian Bacchus of AirTech Radon, who services homes in the South Hills.

“I do an average of three installs a day, maybe 15 a week. So it is an issue that isn’t going away,” he said of his Wexford-based business that’s been in operation for 20 years.

One factor that might allow more radon into a home is an unfinished basement or an untreated foundation.

“If you have a crawl space, or open areas with exposed earth, there’s likely to be a higher concentration coming up through the ground,” Bacchus said.

And homeowners likely can’t piggyback off a neighbor’s test, either.

“We’ve had instances with two homes right next to each other: one with dangerously high levels and the other home, nothing,” said real estate broker Jim Saxon of Berskhire Hathaway.

Saxon said the impetus to test a home for radon is often on a home buyer, not the seller.

“There’s nothing in the books that says you must tell a prospective buyer that your home has radon, or hasn’t been tested. But we find about 90 percent of buyers do it anyway, just like testing for pests.”

According to the EPA’s latest radon maps, about 43 percent of Allegheny homes have reported dangerous concentrations of 4 picocuries per liter (pCi/L); 22 percent reported “concerning concentrations” of 2-3.9 pCi/L; and 35 percent reported safe levels below 2 pCi/L. In Washington County, 40 percent of homeowners reported dangerous concentrations; 24 percent reported concerning levels, and 36 percent reported safe levels of naturally-occurring radon.