Radon is a normal home test in Sedgwick County too

Radon does not get talked about much on the eastern plains, but it is a normal Colorado home question here as anywhere else in the state. It is worth a calm look rather than worry.

Radon is a naturally occurring gas that seeps up from soil and rock and can build up inside a house. You cannot see or smell it, so the only way to know a home’s level is to test. Colorado as a whole sees radon often enough that the state recommends testing, and a home in Sedgwick County is not outside that picture just because it sits on flat farm country. Levels depend on the specific house and ground beneath it, not on the region alone.

The good news is that this is a solved problem. A test is inexpensive, and if a home reads high, a mitigation system — essentially a vent and fan that pulls the gas out from under the foundation before it enters living space — brings levels down. For buyers, a radon test fits naturally into the inspection period. For owners, it is a simple, low-cost check — and one worth repeating over time, after major remodeling, or after a mitigation system goes in, since a home’s level can change.

This note does not state a level for any home. For how radon works and how to test and reduce it, see the Colorado Geological Survey and the state health department.