DHEC offering free radon test kits, encouraging people to test their homes

January is National Radon Action Month, which makes this the perfect time to make sure your home is safe from the gas.

Columbia, S.C. (WOLO) — January is National Radon Action Month, which makes this the perfect time to make sure your home is safe from the gas.

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) is encouraging people to learn the risks of the gas and test for it in their homes.

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas, but there’s no way to detect it unless you test for it.

“It comes from the breakdown of radioactive rocks in the soil. It’s everywhere. It can enter buildings through cracks and holes in the foundation,” said Leslie Coolidge, the South Carolina Radon Program Coordinator. “It’s odorless, colorless and tasteless. So you can’t detect it with your senses. The only way to know if you have an issue is to test.”

During National Radon Action Month, DHEC wants people to make sure their homes are safe.

“Even if your house tests fine, you might want to test again in the future especially if you renovate your house or if you start using your basement as a living area when it wasn’t a living area before,” said Coolidge.

Radon is a lung cancer risk.

“It’s the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. Among non-smokers it’s the leading cause,” said Coolidge. If you are a smoker and also have radon exposure, smoking will greatly increase your risk of radon-induced lung cancer.”

DHEC offers free radon test kits, so you can learn if your home has unsafe levels.

“If your test comes back high, we will offer you a follow up test. And you always want to do two, you don’t want to make any decisions based on one,” said Coolidge.

If radon is an issue, you’ll need to hire a contractor to vent the gas from under your home.

If you’d like register for a free DHEC radon test kit, click here.