SPRINGVILLE — Habitat for Humanity is building its first-ever radon-resistant home in Utah County.
The volunteer group hosted Miss Utah Christina Lowe on Tuesday as crews put the finishing touches on a 1,500-square-foot house in Springville.
Also, the Utah Department of Environmental Quality recognized Utah builders who construct radon-resistant homes and honored other members of the community who have worked to increase public awareness about the health risks of radon.
The home in Springville will have a separate ventilation system that sucks radon from the ground and vents it through the roof.
Radon is a cancer-causing, radioactive gas that is colorless and odorless. It is a natural decay product from uranium and the only way to know if a home has elevated levels of radon is through testing.
As many as 20 percent of Utah homes may have elevated levels of radon, according to the Department of Environmental Quality.
"Our homes are like vacuums," said Christine Keyser, the department's radon coordinator. "They have a negative pressure, and it just sucks the gas into the home."
Test kits are available from the Utah Safety Council and local hardware stores. Also, $6 discounted kits are available online for purchase that come with a laboratory analysis. That information can be accessed at www.radon.utah.gov
Radon education material will also be offered from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the University of Utah Be Well Utah Family Health Fair at Stillwell Field at Fort Douglas.
According to state radiation regulatory officials, exposure to radon gas is the leading cause of lung cancer among nonsmokers and the second leading cause of lung cancer overall, causing thousands of deaths annually in the United States. Radon-induced lung cancer claims more than 57 lives on a daily basis in the United States.
Habitat For Humanity is building the Springville house for a low-income couple with four children who live in a crowded apartment for the time being. The house is anticipated to be ready for the family on Monday. A grant will allow Habitat for Humanity to install radon mitigation systems in all the new homes they build in Utah County.
e-mail: amyjoi@desnews.com; brnelson@ksl.com