Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas which comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water and gets into the air one breathes. Radon is odorless, tasteless, and colorless, and could be a potential problem in any home. Radon is regarded as the second leading cause of lung cancer following smoking. Radon can be found throughout the United States and can get into any type of building-homes, offices, and schools-and result in a high indoor radon level.
I was recently looking over figures the State Department of Health Services released after being scoffed at by a real estate agent for disclosing radon info in our Natural Hazard Disclosure reports. The agent was from the Los Gatos area so I looked up some figures the state has posted and was surprised by what I found. In the 95030 Zip Code, 5 of the 19 radon tests provided to the state showed radon levels in homes where the California Department of Health Services recommends that action be taken to reduce radon levels in homes. That’s 26%. In the 95033 Zip Code 38 of 108 test showed high levels…35%!