less time you can listen without Throughout the pandemic..
we've all spent more time at
home. And now, a Utah
woman just diagnosed with
stage 4 cancer.. is warning
others about a hidden home
danger.. far too common in
Utah.
If you haven't tested
your home for RADON in the
last two years you'll want
to. Even if you have a
mitigation system. Just
follow the QR code on the
bottom left of your screen for
a discounted or free test kit
while News Specialist Ladd
Egan shares what you can do to
protect your family.
LADD 0:00-0:11KERRI 0:23-0:27
RON 1:25-1:30ELEANOR 1:39-1:43
TJ 2:44-2:48LADD 3:15-3:41
One in three houses in Utah
has dangerous levels of radon
that's five times higher than
the national average. And a
woman here in Lehi says she's
learning the hard way that we
all need to test our homes:"I
WOKE UP ONE MORNING THE FIRST
PART OF JUNE AND GOT ON MY
TREADMILL."A normal morning
turned dangerous when Kerri
Robbins gagged on water, threw
up and was confused.:"AS I'M
WASHING IN MY HANDS I'M
LOOKING IN THE MIRROR AND I
DON'T KNOW WHY I'M THERE."The
65-year-old ended up at the
E.R. where a scan revealed
brain tumors oncologists then
searched for the primary
source which turned out to be
non-smoking lung cancer. :"THE
ONCOLOGIST EXPLAINED THAT IT
HAD METASTASIZED. SO IT HAD
GONE FROM MY LUNGS TO MY
BRAIN."It wasn't until she
made an appointment with a
specialist that she thought of
what may have caused her
cancer:"THE FIRST THING HE
SAID WAS, 'HAVE YOU HAD YOUR
HOUSE TESTED FOR RADON?'"The
results came back last week.
The EPA says radon higher than
4 picocuries per liter is not
considered safe Robbins' home
was 31 point 3. :"I LOVE MY
HOUSE. I LOVE MY NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND COME TO FIND OUT THAT
THAT'S PROBABLY WHAT'S GIVEN
ME CANCER.'"Radon typically
gathers on the lowest level of a home which is where her office is:"SO BASICALLY,
ESPECIALLY DURING THE
PANDEMIC, I'M WORKING IN THAT
OFFICE FIVE DAYS A WEEK."
:"IT'S A REALITY CHECK. YOU
KNOW."Her husband is now going
to the doctor for his own
scan. He says radon wasn't
even on their radar:"YOU
CAN'T SEE IT. YOU CAN'T SMELL
IT. YOU CAN'T TASTE IT.":"IT'S
HEARTBREAKING TO HEAR THESE
STORIES AND YET I HEAR THEM
EVERY DAY."Eleanor Divver
heads up Utah's radon program.
She had this to say about the
level of the cancer-causing
radioactive gas in Robbins'
home:"30 PICOCURIES IS LIKE
SMOKING THREE PACKS OF
CIGARETTES EVERY DAY."The only
way for Utahns to know if
their home has elevated levels
of the slow, silent killer is
the get a test. :"I'M PROBABLY
SEEING THE HIGHER RADON LEVELS
IN NEWER HOMES BECAUSE WE'RE
MAKING HOMES SO AIRTIGHT.
WE'RE BUILDING IN AREAS WHERE
WE USED TO MINE. SO WE'RE
SEEING IT EVERYWHERE.":"THERE
HIS WILL HAT HAVE TESTED ABOUT 100 PICOCURIES
PER LITER."TJ Mellars with Utah Radon Services says the
good news is that you can rid
your home of high radon levels
with a mitigation :"SO THAT
THE GASES, INSTEAD OF GETTING
PUSHED UP INTO THE HOME HAVE
AN ESCAPE ROUTE BY GETTING
SUCKED UP THROUGH THE RADON
PIPE AND THEN VENTED ABOVE THE
ROOF LINE."His company
installed a system at the
Robbins' home:"IT'S A SMALL
EXPENSE TO PAY TO REDUCE THE
RISK OF LUNG CANCER."Robbins
is now warning anyone who will
listen:"YOU'VE GOT TO KNOW.
PLEASE, GET She's undergoing
treatment and is focusing on
spending time with her family
and is still baking hundreds
of cookies for her
neighborhood:"I'M SURE AT
SOME POINT IN TIME IT WON'T BE
VERY PRETTY. BUT IN THE
MEANTIME, WE'RE GOING TO TAKE
EVERY MINUTE WE CAN GET."
We wish her the best with her
treatments. Even though Utah
has the lowest smoking rate in
the country lung cancer is
the leader for cancer deaths
in our state. We've had that
QR code on the screen
throughout this report, but if
you missed it, don't worry.
Just head to our website right
now. You'll find links about
how you can order a discounted
test from the state for around
ten bucks there are also some
free options out there that
I'll provide. An important
reminder to test.. especially
during these winter months.