Potential for Radon Gas Hazard is High in Beaver Basin, Utah Geologists Find

The radon-gas hazard potential in the Beaver Basin area is one of the highest in the state, a new report by the Utah Geological Survey says. The Basin was identified by the Utah Department of Environmental Quality as an area of concern after tests showed indoor radon levels were the highest recorded in the state.

Radon gas is a byproduct of decaying uranium or thorium in the soil of that area. Naturally occurring, radon gas is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, water-soluble radioactive element that moves easily into the air or water. Sufficiently high levels have been linked to lung cancer.

The UGS began identifying and studying areas of Utah with a high potential for radon as part of the Toxic Substances Control Act and the Indoor Radon Abatement Act of 1988. The IRAA authorized the State Indoor Radon Grant program, providing funding so states could develop and continue radon assessment and mitigation programs. Since then, the UGS has studied nine areas of the state that the DEQ identified as problematic. Those reports, including the Beaver Basin one, are available in the Department of Natural Resources Map & Bookstore, 1594 West North Temple. The publications also contain information on how to prevent radon gas from infiltrating into structures, as well as how to reduce radon levels that are already present.

According to the author of the latest report, geologist Charles E. Bishop, the radon levels in the Beaver Basin area "are well above those considered a health risk by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency." The basin encompasses about 160 square miles in eastern Beaver County in southwestern Utah. A natural depression, the basin floor, or "fill," is comprised of sediments derived from volcanic and other rocks that have a high content of uranium. This basin-fill deposit is characterized by moderate to high permeability. Ground water depth is greater than 10 feet in most of the region, and the area is bounded by mountains that also have high uranium levels. These factors account for the elevated radon-hazard potential.

Radon-hazard studies are necessary, Bishop says, "to organize and prioritize testing in existing buildings and to indicate where radon-resistant construction should be considered in new buildings. Indoor-radon levels are easily and inexpensively measured, and various methods to reduce the levels are available."