Renter worried after high level of radon found in south Charlotte apartment

CHARLOTTE — A woman in south Charlotte is concerned because she says her apartment has a high level of radon, a naturally occurring radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention people are always exposed to it, but high levels of exposure should be avoided. The Environmental Protection Agency says radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S., after smoking.

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Lisa Jones told Action 9′s Jason Stoogenke that she hired a company to test her apartment for the gas. The EPA says a level of 4 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) or higher requires action. The level found in Jones’s apartment was 6.3.

Now, Jones is scrambling to figure out what to do next and who should pay for her expenses.

“This is where you come when everything else gets a little hectic and crazy. You should be able to come here [home] and feel safe and just get peace,” she said. “So, it’s just super concerning to me. I definitely don’t want to be in here.”

Jones shared her concerns with her landlord.

“I sent an email and just said, ‘Here’s the situation. What are we going to do? Do you let me out of my lease? Do you put me in a hotel? Like, what happens in the situation?’” she said.

Jones said her complex plans to start work on her apartment on Monday and that it gave her two choices: Go to a hotel for the 10 days the work will take or end her lease now and move. She decided not to end her lease and to stay in a hotel while the work was being done.

She thought her complex would pay for the hotel, but it didn’t.

Here’s what you should know about radon:

You can’t see it or smell it.
The only way to know if its present is to test for it.
You may be able to get a free test kit from the state.
If you hire someone to do a more in-depth inspection, it could cost $150 to $200, and your landlord may not cover it.

What you should do if a radon problem is discovered:

Tell your landlord in writing and include your test results.
Usually, the landlord is responsible for paying to have it fixed since it’s their property. It can cost anywhere from $500 to $2,500 for a space the size of a single-family home.
If you have to stay in a hotel while your home is being worked on, that’s usually on you and your renters insurance.

If you run into problems while trying to get it fixed: