LAFOLLETTE, TN (WLAF) – The Campbell County Rotary Club learned about the dangers of Radon from home inspector Zach Weatherford who is with Bentley Radon (top photo). 

According to Weatherford, Radon produces a radioactive dust in the air we breathe. The dust is trapped in our airways and emits radiation that damages the inside of lungs. Radon is “odorless and colorless and unless you have your home tested for it, you will never know it is there.”

There are no symptoms either, until much later in life, when after years of exposure you would show symptoms of lung cancer.

As a home inspector, Radon is one of the main things that Weatherford checks. Bently Radon services all of East Tennessee. According to Weatherford, the acceptable level of Radon in your home is less than 4.0. Anything higher than that and mitigation is recommended.

The highest levels he said he has seen in his eight-year career was up in the hundreds at a residence in Johnson City. The highest he has seen locally was in Jacksboro at 75.

Areas with rocky soil and areas close to the lake tend to have higher Radon levels, according to Weatherford.

“Generally speaking, lake homes have higher levels,” Weatherford said.

According to Weatherford, mitigation systems vent the radon, so it is not in the air you breathe.

He encouraged homeowners to have their homes tested for Radon. 

“I believe the state still offers a home test for Radon, but you have to pay a lab fee to get the results,” Weatherford said.

He closed his presentation by saying that while high Radon levels are serious, it is something that can be fixed with the proper mitigation system. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 05/15/2024-6AM)

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