While radon levels don’t change significantly year-to-year, the science and data is constantly evolving. We’re going to bring you the latest Colorado radon level data for 2021 in this article.
In Colorado, 50% of homes have elevated radon levels.
On January 15, 2021, the Colorado Cancer Coalition presented a training webinar that provided a current map of radon levels throughout Colorado. The map was created and distributed by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) Radon Outreach Program. While previous maps indicated 52 out of Colorado’s 64 counties were in Zone 1 and 12 were in Zone 2, the map was updated to show all 64 counties being in Zone 1. What does this mean? Zone 1 areas are likely to have “high radon potential.” This means these counties are likely to have radon levels greater than 4.0 pCi/L, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) action level for mitigation. These zone categorizations are based on indoor radon, geology, soil, construction type, and aerial radiation measurements.
Colorado Radon Map
Radon gas is created by the breakdown of radium and uranium. Radium is a highly radioactive element. Because the half-life for radium is 1,600 years, we likely won’t see significant changes to radon levels any time soon. However, soil composition, geology, and home construction regulations are subject to change regularly and affect indoor radon levels significantly. Also, radon levels from house-to-house in the same neighborhood could be significantly different based upon these conditions and where radium happens to be in the ground beneath the structure.
If you live in Northern Colorado, we welcome you to schedule a radon test today.
Visit the Colorado Cancer Coalition’s website.
Visit the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment Radon page.
Sources:
https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/sites/default/files/HM_radon-CDPHE-Radon-and-Real-Estate.pdf
https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-12/documents/2016_a_citizens_guide_to_radon.pdf
