Health Concerns due to Residential Radon Exposure

South Central Kentucky is known for its vast cave system, and the delicate karst and formations far underground attract many visitors from all over the world. However, what lurks below the surface can be dangerous to people that call South Central Kentucky home.

This area’s karst landscape and underground cave system is a hotspot for radon exposure, raising significant concerns and health risks to those in the area.

Professor of Geology at Western Kentucky University, Michael May, says, “A lot of the limestones carry uranium that decays to radon. It becomes a gas that is hazardous to human health, so the cave systems appear to be a good delivery system for radon gas into homes, businesses, and any infrastructure.”

You can’t see it. You can’t smell it. You can’t taste it. But there is a good chance radon may be hiding in your home.

“Radon is going to migrate anywhere that it can, and it will fill any space, particularly lower pressure areas, like basements, because basements are a hollow spot. So, basements are notoriously potential hazards for radon in a home,” says May.

Health Experts say there are close to 21 thousand cases of lung cancer in the U.S. every year due to radon exposure. It is one of the most common causes for lung cancer in non-smokers.

According to Dr. Karan Singh, Pulmonologist at Med Center Health, “Radon exposure is significant; it has a lot of effects on the health and well-being of the body. It is estimated that if you have a high radon level in your house, it is the equivalent of smoking 8 cigarettes a day or having 200 chest X-rays over the course of a calendar year.”

How can you find out if there are dangerous levels of radon in and around your home? You can purchase radon test kits online and at hardware stores and other retail locations in the area. Mitigation systems are also recommended to rid radon from your home.

You can find more information on testing levels of radon in and around your home, or request a free test kit, by visiting Kentucky’s Cabinet for Health and Family Services website, at chfs.ky.gov.