Utahns urged to test homes for radon

More than 30 percent of homes in Utah have high radon levels, prompting the Utah Department of Environmental Quality this week to urge people thinking about moving this summer to have the house tested for dangerous radon levels before they make a purchase.

A DEQ statement released Wednesday provided the link, www.radon.utah.gov/radon

_realtors.htm, as a means of finding a Realtor who has taken a DEQ course on radon detection. Radon is an invisible, naturally occurring gas that at prolonged exposure to dangerous levels is believed to pose an increased cancer risk.

"If you didn't test when you bought your home, you may be liable when you sell your home and may be stuck fixing the home for a radon problem you didn't know existed," state radon program coordinator David Neville said.

For a list of what radon tests in your ZIP code have yielded, visit the Web site, www.radon.utah.gov/test_results_current.htm. As of March, 2008, tests in Beaver County were coming back with the highest levels of radon in the state.

For additional information, call the Utah Radon Helpline at 800-458-0145.