My mom’s mission,
her dying wish, literally,
was to get the word out about radon.
A simple radon test
can keep you and your family safe.
I’m Mona Dohman.
As commissioner of Public Safety,
I know how vital it is to get the word out.
And I’m Dr. Ed Ehlinger,
Minnesota’s commissioner of health.
We are coming together to talk to you
about radon, a major health risk
that might be lurking inside your house.
((It’s hard to imagine,))
((but at one time))
((a radioactive gas you can’t see or smell))
((came up from the ground))
((and spread throughout))
((this lovely Minnesota home.))
((Barbara Neitge and her two children))
(( – Jaime and Mitch – ))
((didn’t know they were breathing in))
((this deadly radon))
((until Barbara couldn’t shake a cough))
((when she travelled to Scotland))
((for Jaime’s wedding.))
You know, my mom was 58
when she started to, in the spring of 2009,
notice that she had a cough and some wheezing.
Didn’t seem like much of a big deal.
But it was just one of those things
that didn’t ever get better.
((Tests would show Barbara))
((– who did not smoke –))
((had stage 4 lung cancer.))
She was fit, she was healthy,
she ate well,
she didn’t even have a doctor,
because she didn’t have any health problems,
and so we were just baffled
by how she could have gotten lung cancer.
((They went online))
((and looked up lung cancer and non smokers.))
((When radon kept popping up,))
((they ordered a test kit.))
The radon levels in our house
are 40 times what they should be.
And at that point,
that’s when I, 100 percent,
knew in my mind
that that was the reason
my mom had lung cancer.
((Radon causes lung cancer))
((when a person breathes in the radioactive gas.))
It’s something not a whole lot of people think about.
((A health department brochure))
((shows the many ways))
((it can enter your home,))
((including cracks in concrete slabs.))
So many homes have a significant amount of risk in them.
((The health department says))
((one in three Minnesota homes))
((has a radon level that could cause harm.))
((The only way to know))
((if your house has radon is to test.))
((Winter is the best time,))
((because doors and windows are closed.))
((You can order the kit))
((through the health department))
((for only $7.))
((It looks like this.))
((Just open it.))
((Record the day and time you start the test.))
((Then make a nice diamond shape))
((and insert the enclosed sponge to keep it open.))
((Inside the packet is specially formulated charcoal,))
((which will adsorb any radon it contacts.))
So, I’m going to hang it up here,
just like so,
and it’s going to now be taking in
the radon gas that’s in this space,
and it’s going to be getting it stuck in the charcoal.
We’re going to leave this test kit up for
– we usually aim for about three to five days –
– just to have a good window of time –
and then at the end of that period,
we will come back down here,
take the test kit down,
we’ll take the sponge out
– at this point the sponge can be thrown away –
and now there is an adhesive strip
inside this envelope,
and we’re just going to peel that away,
and seal it up nice and tight.
You want to take note of
the ending time and date on this test.
You also will answer a few questions about the test,
such as average temperature during the test.
Once you’ve done that,
you can clip off this plastic clip,
and this is actually an addressed envelope.
((The lab will test it at no additional charge))
((and will mail you the results.))
((If, like Barbara’s family,))
((your results show this deadly gas))
((is seeping into your home,))
((you can fix it.))
So, what you’re looking at here
is a piece of this home’s
radon mitigation system.
A radon mitigation system is put into a home
basically to remove radon from that home.
There are forces at play here that make radon,
which lies below the soil
beneath the slab of a home,
want to come up into the home.
And what this system does,
and this pipe here,
is act as a path of least resistance
for that radon.
So, it’s easier for the radon
to move up and into this pipe
than it would be for the radon
to come into the home.
((The pipe continues up through the home))
((and is attached to an inline radon fan in the attic))
((that vents the gas out of the home))
((through the roof.))
((This tube, with colored liquid in it,))
((acts as kind of a pressure gauge.))
((It’s located in the garage))
((and shows the homeowner the system is working.))
This is a perfect place,
because every time
you walk in and out of the home
you’re going to be able to see
that the system is working.
((Jaime and her husband, Neil,))
((live in the home.))
((Mitch visits often.))
((They honor their mother by sharing her story.))
This is what she wanted.
She wanted us to do these things
and get the word out.
I tell people my story,
and it’s hard.
But I just hope that when they hear it,
that it scares them a little,
scares them into thinking,
gosh, why don’t I just test it,
because it’s so easy.
Jaime’s story touches my heart.
As commissioner of public safety
I want all Minnesotans, every one of you to know
whether radon is putting you at risk.
Radon is the second leading cause
of lung cancer in this country.
More than 20,000 Americans
die from lung cancer caused by radon each year.
Don’t be one of them.
Go to the Minnesota Department of Health’s website today,
and order a test kit.
Please.