Two years ago, Grant Holle didn’t know anything about radon, the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the United States.
But then again, not a lot of people did. And they still don’t.
Today, as one of two certified radon mitigation experts in Northwest Montana, Holle is acutely aware of the fact that many people don’t know much about the gas or its deadly consequences. Radon education is particularly important in Montana, where some of the highest levels of radon concentrations in the nation exist. The Rocky Mountain region in general has above average amounts.
“In Montana, you have to prove to me you don’t have radon,” Holle, who runs Ray-Gone out of Bigfork, said.
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that people can’t see, smell or taste. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that more than 20,000 people every year die from radon-caused lung cancer. Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S., while secondhand smoke is third. Smokers exposed to radon are at especially high risk for cancer.
Though radon exists in outside air, the high concentrations that seep up from beneath the earth and get trapped inside buildings are of most concern. Indoor air quality is an increasingly prominent issue for the EPA and other health organizations, with radon as perhaps the leading concern.
The EPA and U.S. Surgeon General recommend all homes be tested, a process often done by home inspectors or registered radon inspectors. If dangerous levels are detected, however, mitigation is left up to certified experts like Holle, who are rare and increasingly busy. The Flathead’s other mitigation expert certified with the National Environmental Health Association is Bob Engibous of Big Mountain Insulators, Inc., in Whitefish.
About two years ago, after Holle retired from law enforcement – he was a sergeant with the Lake County Sheriff’s Department – he began researching radon after his friend told him about it. His interest grew until he decided to enter the National Radon Proficiency program, where he underwent a lengthy training session and took a final exam to get certified.
“There was nobody certified in the valley at the time,” Holle said.
Holle charges $90 plus mileage for testing, but in the interest of fairness and thoroughness, he recommends getting an independent inspection on top of his. If mitigation is necessary, he charges between $1,000 and $5,000, depending on the size of the job. Once in the house, he sets up a fan and pipe ventilation system, along with laying down a plastic cover across the surface of the house’s lowest level. Radon doesn’t penetrate the plastic, he said.
Holle mitigated five houses in July, taking up to several days on each one. The pipe ventilation system and plastic remain permanently in the house, though the fan is removed.
“I’m bound to get busier,” he said.
Brian Green, a radon specialist with the state Department of Environmental Quality, said although Montana is on par with other rural Western states with its low number of mitigation experts, he’s encouraged by what he sees as an overall increase in radon awareness in the past five years. Publicity campaigns exposing radon’s dangers occur more frequently and building contractors are installing more radon-resistant systems in houses. Among the radon-resistant building techniques are special sealing and caulking, gas permeable layers, plastic sheeting and vent pipes.
“The awareness levels are up,” Green said. “The steps that can be taken with new homes, building in these systems in the first place, makes a great deal of sense.”
Green would like to see far more certified mitigation experts statewide, but for now, it’s hard for a person to make a full-time living off of it. Not enough people get inspected. Green recommends everybody get their homes tested, but he estimated that only 30 to 40 percent of new homebuyers pay for the inspection. Sellers who have already had their houses tested are supposed to pass along the test information to prospective buyers.
“It’s difficult because there’s often not enough business for these (mitigation) guys,” Green said. “It’s not a business like heating and ventilation, air conditioning and furnaces. It’s kind of a specialty.”