S. John Collins / Baker City Herald Radon test kits are relatively inexpensive, usually $12 to $25, although some require an extra fee of about $30 for lab results.

State study shows Baker City homes have moderate risk of containing elevated levels of cancer-causing gas

By Jayson Jacoby

jjacoby@bakercityherald.com

A new Oregon study says homes in the Baker City area have a moderate risk of containing elevated levels of radon, a radioactive gas that is a primary cause of lung cancer among non-smokers.

The study includes results from radon testing in 27 buildings in the 97814 ZIP code.

That includes Baker City as well as some surrounding areas.

Those results were submitted to the state by manufacturers of radon-testing kits. Those kits, which usually cost between $12 and $25, are available at many stores that sell hardware.

Testing is necessary to detect radon because the gas is odorless, colorless and tasteless.

The Oregon Health Authority study assigns a risk level – low, moderate or high – for ZIP codes where at least 20 buildings have been tested for radon.

Areas with an overall score of 1-4 are deemed at low risk. A score of 5-7 is moderate risk, and 8-10 is high risk.

Baker City’s score is 7.

La Grande’s score is 9, putting it in the high risk category.

The Oregon Health Authority released the statewide report as part of National Radon Action Month in January.

Although the report attempts to quantify the radon risk geographically, state officials emphasize that their overriding message applies equally to everyone in Oregon, regardless of the statistical risk in their ZIP code.

That message is simple:

“The only way to know if your particular house has a radon problem is to test,” said Brett Sherry, radon program coordinator for the Health Authority.

In reality, Sherry said, radon levels can, and do, vary not only from city to city, but from street to street and even from house to house.

“You may have the only house on the block with elevated radon levels,” he said.

Winter is the ideal time to test because windows and doors are shut and indoor radon levels, if any, tend to peak during this season.

Victor Savage, who works at Cashway Lumber in Baker City, said the business sells a radon test kit for about $13.

Savage said the hardware store sells “one or two” of the kits per year.

Sherry recommends residents read the package before they buy a test kit.

Some include lab tests as part of the cost of the kit.

Others, however, require the buyer to spend another $30 or more to actually have samples from their home tested for the radon level – which is sort of the purpose, after all.

Kits typically consist of either an envelope or a plastic vial that contains activated charcoal, Sherry said.

You open the container to expose the charcoal to the air, then leave it in place for at least 48 hours, more typically for five to seven days.

Then you seal the container and mail it to the company’s lab. The charcoal in effect absorbs radiation from the gas, and the lab can measure the radon concentration.

Although no level of radon exposure is considered “safe,” Sherry said, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency deems concentrations of at least 4 picocuries per liter (pC/L) an “action level” that a homeowner should address.

About one in four of the homes tested in Baker City had a radon concentration of 4 pC/L or higher. The highest reading was 10.9, and the average was 2.9.

Baker City’s 97814 ZIP code was the only one in Baker County for which the state has more than a few radon test results.

Residents in other ZIP codes in the county can get a free test kit from the state, while supplies last.

To apply for a free kit, send an emal to radon.program@state.or.us.

See more in Friday’s issue of the Baker City Herald.