Radon is an oderless, tastes, colorless radioactive gas that can cause problems if it gets trapped in your house.

January has been set aside as Radon Action month to help make the public aware of this problem that could potentially be lurking in their home.

When you breathe in radon, you increase your chance of getting lung cancer. Radon is, in fact, the second leading cause of lung cancer. If you are a smoker AND have radon in your home, you have the highest possible chance of getting lung cancer.

Some people believe that only homes with basements can have a problem with radon but that’s not the case at all. Not only can radon enter the house through well water, if your home is built on a slab, you don’t have buffer of the basement to stop the radon from entering your home.

If you’re buying or selling a house, you should have it tested for radon. Although Arkansas, as a state, is 46th in the nation for occurrences of radon, Baxter and Marion county are in Zone 2 on the radon map and elevated levels have been found in this zone.

It’s easy to do a home test that can be purchased for around $25. If you find you have elevated radon levels, you’ll need to get the problem mitigated which will involve hiring a professional who does this type of work. He will come in and install a pipe that will take the bad air out of the home. If you have mitigation done, you’ll need to be sure you test it every couple of years to make sure that it’s still working.

For further information about radon, download the Home Buyer’s and Seller’s Guide to Radon from the EPA.