Radon, Part I: Portland's "Radon Ridge"

What does radon mean to you? Did you know it’s a natural gas that’s the second leading cause of lung cancer?

Did you know there’s an area of Portland with high enough levels of radon that it’s been termed “Radon Ridge?” Radon Ridge, as its known, stretches from the St. John’s neighborhood in North Portland all the way to Rocky Butte in NE Portland. Most of the dark red zip codes in the map above make up Radon Ridge (you'll also notice all of Clark County & Vancouver are included).

I mentioned all of this to my wife recently, who happens to be a journalist with KOIN-TV, the CBS-affiliate here in Portland, and the result was a story featured in last night’s 11pm newscast. The story examined radon’s causes and effects and featured a widow whose husband died of lung cancer believed to be caused by radon when they lived, not in Radon Ridge, but in a Lake Oswego house.

Here is a link to the report that aired last night.

The good news is that radon can be tested for and remediated. Tomorrow, I will follow-up this topic with a video interview of a local geologist and a question & answer session with a local expert who reduces high radon levels in homes.