BECAUSE I AM COO-COO

When we first bought our house, the realtor recommended we test for radon. Well, being from the beach, I had never heard of radon.  She explained that it is an odorless, colorless gas that comes from the earth. It can get trapped in your house and exposure can cause lung cancer. In fact, statistics show that it is the second leading cause of lung cancer, after smoking.

So we followed her recommendation and tested. Our levels were low enough to not have to worry about it. Great! Four years go by and I never give it another thought. Well, one night, Brad and I were watching TV and in the back ground of the program was a bunch of pamphlets. One of them had big letters on it RADON - HAVE YOUR HOME TESTED. As soon as I saw it, I thought, "Oh yeah, radon.", then immediately forgot about it again.

Well, being the freak o' nature that I am, always looking for something to fret about, I should have known my mind wasn't going to let that go. So there I was in bed that night,  wide awake, eyes huge with fear, thinking I was poisoning my children with toxic gas. I violently shook Brad awake, while screaming that we were killing our children made a mental note to mention it to Brad when he woke up.

The next morning, I asked him about it. No real shock here, but he told me I was coo-coo and to let it go.  Let it go? Let it go? Clearly he did not realize who he was talking to. I can't let anything go. I am a fretter. That is what I do.

Well, low and behold, I stumble across a Dr. Oz segment about the dangers of radon. Now you all know if Dr. Oz says it is a silent killer, by gosh, that makes it fact! So I continue my research ever convinced that we needed to pack up our belongings and head to the coast!

Then, then, I see my neighbor outside, so I run over to ask her what she thought of radon. Have they ever tested? She tells me (lord, my heart stopped) that they did indeed test when they bought their house. Their level came back high and they had some high tech mitigation system installed to filter their air.  Seriously at this point, I am about to soil my britches.

So I finally convince Brad to get a test kit from Lowe's. All the while, he is complaining that I am a nut job and that I need to see a shrink. He even suggests that maybe the "radon" has gotten to my brain. Oh so funny, that guy. Anyway, so we get the test. You have to leave it out for a minimum of 48 hours. Ok, done.

So during that 48 hours, I decided to stalk the internet and my other neighbors to see what I can uncover. Well, not a single person, other than my one neighbor had ever even heard of radon. Not my friends at church, not my family, none of my friends that live somewhat close.  Then I finally discover a study done on the internet. It said that if you have 1000 people that have never smoked, and you exposed them to a lifetime of radon, 3 of them would get lung cancer. Three. Out of 1000. That is less than 1%.

So I decided to step off of my crazy train, take a deep breath (of radon poisoned air) and let it go. I am not going to live in this house a lifetime. My family will not live in this house a lifetime. Not to mention we have tested - and it was low. The reports say as long as there hasn't been construction or an earthquake, the level is probably no different. I actually threw away our test kit.

So I am letting it go. Of course, the minute I say I am letting it go, I read a report saying you shouldn't give your kids fluoride. WHAT? The report says it crosses the blood brain barrier and can cause Alzheimer's. Well, great. The only thing my kids drink is city water. Fluorinated water.  So, yeah I have let the radon issue go. But....

I am not going to fret. I am not going to fret. I am not going to fret.