Radon, an odorless radioactive gas that occurs naturally in soil, may seep into the home through cracks in the concrete, but is primarily tracked into the house on the bottom of shoes. Radon is the 2nd leading cause of lung cancer and can be a health risk in just about any home or neighborhood.

Children and babies are more likely than adults to come in contact with these contaminants since they spend more time on or close to the ground indoors and out.

There is no way to predict with certainty whether your home is radon free. Fortunately, it is easy to detect and stop. Testing is essential and inexpensive.

Radon testing kits are available at hardware and home improvement centers and online.

The radon kit remains in your house for 3-7 days, (your choice) and uses a container that holds a quantity of granular activated charcoal. The charcoal absorbs the radon gas entering the canister from the surrounding air. You then seal the canister and send it to the laboratory in a pre-paid mailer for analysis, and the results are returned within a couple of days.

Radon levels tend to vary from day to day and season to season, so the short term kit will not tell you the year-round average radon level. When buying or selling a home, the EPA generally recommends taking two short term tests at the same time/same place to measure radon, taking the average of the two.

When buying or selling a home, the EPA generally recommends taking two short term tests at the same time/same place to measure radon, taking the average of the two. For more information and to purchase an EPA-approved radon kit, visit www.radonzone.com or call (866) 992-3910.

Dr. Gary Ginsberg, a toxicologist, consumer advocate and author of What's Toxic, What's Not, explains how to interpret the results and prevent radon from entering your home:

The safety cutoff for radon is 4 pCi/liter. That means that in one liter of air (think of a balloon that when full reaches the size of a quart) there are 4 units of this radioactive gas. Background level exist even outdoors and are generally below 1.0 pCi/liter. The closer your result is to 1 pCi/liter the better. Only results over 4 pCi/liter merit fixing. RADON < 1 pCi/L - at background level, so there is no problem RADON 1-4 pCi/L - a little elevated, but livable RADON > 4 pCi/L - over the risk baseline - fix immediately How to Fix and Prevent Radon from entering your home. A radon result of 4 pCi/L or more means you are at an elevated risk for lung cancer. Fortunately, there is a simple solution.

You can stop radon entry by installing a sub-slab suction system. This system is relatively simple, composed of pipes and a fan. It pulls radon our of the ground and channels it outdoors. Since it is installed under your foundation, it keeps radon out of your basement. A radon mitigation firm can usually install such a system for under $2,000. Radon mitigation contractors should be certified to do the work. Many states keep a listing of certified radon contractors. To find one in your area, visit epa,gov/iaq/whereyoulive.html and pick your state.

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