Cancer survivor advocates for home radon testing

(FEBRUARY 20, 2025) Last month was National Radon Action Month. According to the Cambridge Learners' Dictionary, radon is "a chemical element that is a radioactive gas formed when radium decays and found naturally in rock and soil." Radon can build up in homes. Testing is the only way to know if a home has radon because it is a colorless, odorless and tasteless gas.

Oregon Health Authority encourages people to test their homes for radon. If necessary, people should hire a professional to reduce the radon levels. This can be important to keep a person right as rain.

Clare Lewis is 67 years old and lives in The Dalles. She advocates for home radon testing because radon caused her lung cancer.

“After I was diagnosed with cancer of the lung, it was totally shocking because I'm not a smoker. ... I, like a lot of people, assume that most people who get lung cancer, it’s as a result of smoking,” Lewis says. “But ... the second leading cause of lung cancer is from radon exposure. I had never even heard of radon. ... We checked our house to see if there were high radon levels and the levels were through the roof.”

Lewis says getting her home tested was easy.

“You can either have a company come and do the testing for you, or you can buy your own radon detector. There are detectors that you can buy from most hardware stores,” she said.

The best time to test for radon is during the colder months. That is when windows and doors are closed up tight. 

For more information about radon, contact OHA’s Radon Awareness Program at radon.program@state.or.us  or visit www.healthoregon.org/radon.