CHARLOTTE, N.C.,None — New research into a cancer-causing gas shows that several counties in the Charlotte metro are at the highest risk levels, meaning hundreds of thousands of people could be affected.
Cases of radon exposure are also increasing in some buildings that never used to be a concern.
To some people, the Charlotte skyline shows progress and development. But Catherine Rosfjord with the North Carolina Radon Program sees a major concern.
“We used to think that radon only came out of the ground,” she said.
Her group is seeing more cases where high-rise apartments, condos and offices, like the ones popping up all over uptown Charlotte, have high levels of the dangerous gas.
Radon cannot be seen or smelled. It’s naturally emitted when uranium decays in the earth and it is the second leading cause of lung cancer. It causes 20,000 new cases of lung cancer each year.
“We do know now that there are building materials like concrete that may have used rock that had uranium in it. Once that is built into the homes, it’s on all six sides of the homes now,” Rosfjord said.
New data not yet reported by the Environmental Protection Agency completely changes the radon outlook for parts of the Charlotte metro.
The state ranks counties as low, moderate or high risk based on test results. In the past, Watauga County was the only high-risk zone in the area. But new data show Caldwell, Avery, Ashe and Cleveland counties have all jumped into the high-risk zone as well.
Cleveland County is now just behind Watauga County with 44 percent of tests coming on over the safe limit.
“There are some hot spots around the Kings Mountain area,” Rosfjord said.
Counties in the moderate risk area – Rowan, Cabarrus, Stanly and Anson – moved up from the low-risk zone.
Mecklenburg County was among those that stayed in the low-risk zone.
Radon mitigation expert Eric Roberts said people should test their homes no matter what zone they live in.
“You could have a subdivision with 100 homes in it and there might be one with a radon problem,” he said.
There are no regulations in Charlotte or Mecklenburg County for testing for radon gas. It depends entirely upon the homeowner or renter.
Testing is easy. People only need to buy a simple kit, hang it in their homes for a few days and then send it by mail for testing.
J.W. Walton tested his home in south Charlotte’s Steele Creek neighborhood and the level was high. When he got the test results back, he said he thought he needed to move or have something done to his home.
He paid Roberts to install a ventilation system.
“The first thing I did was drill a 5-inch hole in the floor,” Roberts said.
He then installed a fan that pulls radon from under the home’s slab and sends it out of the top of the house.
Roberts is a member of a group pushing lawmakers for radon regulations or mandatory testing.
Experts said renters are in the worst position because landlords are not required by law to deal with high radon levels.
The North Carolina Radon Program is offering radon testing kits for free while supplies last. They will mail it to a person’s home and test it when it is returned.
To order a radon testing kit, click here.
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