Employees with offices in the Dodge County Courthouse in Mantorville, Minnesota, will be moved temporarily to a different part of the building after officials learned that there are potentially dangerous radon levels in the basement.

According to Post-Bulletin.com, a local news source, county commissioners installed a monitor in certain rooms of the facility following evidence that the hazardous gas had been building up over night when the heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems were turned down. The analysis revealed that the radon didn't dissipate during the day in at least a few of the rooms and that it had reached levels deemed dangerous by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The EPA states that radon – a colorless, odorless and tasteless gas – is responsible for 21,000 deaths each year, making it the number one cause of lung cancer among non-smokers.

When radon is detected in a building, it's important for people to do whatever they can to avoid being exposed to it for a prolonged period of time, which is why officials from Mantorville opted to relocate their employees while the situation undergoes evaluation and mitigation. 

"We're very concerned about the health and safety of staff members," commissioner Steven Gray said at a county board meeting on March 26. 

If you want to have your home inspected for signs of this deadly gas, it's a good idea to reach out to a home inspection contractor. These professionals will conduct radon testing at your current property and determine if you are safe. Additionally, it's essential to get a house inspected before you buy it, since it's impossible for the untrained eye to pick up on these kinds of hazards.