Health officials warn of radon, mold

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Health officials warn of radon, mold

Tests indicate 63% of area homes at risk from naturally occurring gas

Durango Herald - Durango,CO*

April 11, 2008

By Burford | Herald Staff Writer

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Health officials were meeting with local officials and the public

Thursday to remind them of the dangers posed by radon and mold,

which can contaminate the air in people's homes with potentially

deadly results.

Mold, especially, is raising concerns this year after an

exceptionally wet winter, which provides more pockets of moisture

for mold to thrive.

Mold is also an unforeseen byproduct of better-insulated, more

energy-efficient homes, said Butch Knowlton, director of the La

Plata County Building Department.

" Today with the new building materials, with energy efficiency,

we're starting to see a whole new world of mold issues, " he said.

Exposure to some molds can cause serious health problems. Cleaning

mold, especially from large areas, can also be hazardous and should

be handled by professionals, Knowlton said.

Another stealthy substance that can afflict residents is radon,

which occurs naturally in the ground but also can come from mill

tailings.

A uranium mill that began operating in the 1940s at the base of

Smelter Mountain on the western bank of the Animas River left behind

large quantities of radioactive tailings.

It is estimated that 15,000 cubic yards of tailings, which were used

in home and road construction before their danger was understood,

remain under the streets of Durango, despite a federal program that

spent millions on cleanup. There is no reliable record of where all

the tailings ended up.

Radon, which is the second-leading cause of lung cancer after

smoking, also is naturally emitted from the ground, seeping into

homes through cracks in the foundation and walls. Especially during

the winter, when windows and doors are closed, the gas accumulates

and is inhaled by the residents, said n Schaub, San Basin

Health Department's radon specialist.

The radon level in area homes varies widely depending on

construction, location and other factors. A test offered free by

local agencies shows whether steps should be taken to reduce the

level.

Results from hundreds of tests already conducted on area homes show

63 percent of them are at risk.

Steps to reduce the amount of gas in homes include installing pipes,

vents and fans that allow it to escape.

" The solution to pollution is dilution, " said Oliver, a mill-

tailings expert with the Colorado Department of Public Health and

Environment.

The county is considering changes to its code that would make radon-

venting equipment standard on new homes.

An information session open to the public Thursday night at the La

Plata County Fairgrounds drew several real-estate agents, including

Doreen Letson, owners of United Country Timberview Realty.

" This is real informational. I didn't realize that radon was quite

so prevalent in our area, I didn't realize that it was so easy to

test for it, and I'm certainly going to encourage all my clients to

do the test, on any building they buy, " she said.

Click here to send an email to the author Staff writer Boush

contributed to this report.