WASHOUGAL, Wash. -- A radon scare in Washougal has spread to other city buildings. No one is in immediate danger, but workers are being relocated to other city offices during testing.
Radon experts were inside Washougal City Hall all day long Monday, working to keep radon gas from coming inside. The basement tested up to six times higher than what's considered normal radon levels, prompting a temporary evacuation.
Radon comes from uranium-rich soil dropped in this region by glacial flooding thousands of years ago. So far this week, two other city buildings tested above-normal in radon levels. Work may be necessary at those buildings.
Much like the cancer impacts of smoking, experts say long term lung impacts of radon exposure are hard to predict.
"It really is an individual thing how much you're exposed to what level you're exposed to," said Steve Tucker of Cascade Radon, Inc., the company performing the mitigation work at City Hall.
News of the radon problem prompted a buyout of radon test-kits at a local hardware store.
More radon kits are on order. The city will make some kits available to concerned citizens soon and radon experts will re-test City Hall Tuesday.
The library was also tested and reopened after lower levels were detected.
Residents from here to Vancouver and Portland and surrounding areas are encouraged -as always- to test for radon.
