Station KMOV, St. Louis) – A metro-east woman is working to stop the killer
that took her husband’s life: radon. On a quiet street in Waterloo, IL, a silent, invisible secret was slowly
killing Joe Linnertz.
Linnertz hadn’t smoked in more than 20 years, which is why his doctor blamed cigarettes and radon gas for causing the cancer. What was radon gas? And where was it? Radon gas comes from the breakdown of uranium in the soil, which attaches to particulates and can increase the risk of lung cancer if the exposure takes place over many years. Test kits showed the Linnertz home had a dangerous level of radon. Gloria Linnertz hired a licensed mitigator to install a system that filtered it out. Now, she’s lobbying lawmakers to pass a state law requiring all homes get tested for it.
The following is an amendment pending to the Illinois State Residential Real Property Act:
“Amends the Residential Real Property Act. Provides that prior to the sale of a residential property, the seller must have the property tested for radon and radon progeny by a licensed radon contractor and furnish the prospective buyer with the test results. Provides that if the test reveals that radon is present at a level in excess of 4.0 (pCi/L) pico curies per liter of air in the indoor atmosphere of the residential real property, the seller must mitigate, repair, or alter the premises to reduce the radon level to below 4.0 (pCi/L) or give the prospective buyer notice of the right to terminate the sale agreement without loss of any earnest money or down payment. Effective July 1, 2007*.”*