Carcinogenic gas radon explained in 40 seconds
What you need to know about the carcinogenic gas radon.
Emma Kate Fittes, Indianapolis Star
EVANSVILLE – The Old Courthouse Catacombs, a staple of Evansville’s Halloween hauntings, cannot remain open in their usual location this year due to radon levels in the basement of the county building.
The issue came up last week on the first day of Vanderburgh County budget hearings, when Vanderburgh County Commission President Justin Elpers presented the panel’s hopes for the 2025 budget. The commission owns the old Vanderburgh County Courthouse and it is managed by the Evansville-Vanderburgh County Building Authority.
According to the World Health Organization, radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas with no smell, color or taste. Radon escapes from the soil into the air, where it decays and creates more radioactive particles. When people breathe in these particles, they settle on the cells that line the airways. This can damage DNA and potentially cause lung cancer.
According to the Indiana State Fact Sheet on radon, the gas is the leading cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers.
Councilman Joe Kiefer said he had heard rumors about environmental problems related to the courthouse when the discussion turned to why the budget included $400,000 for maintenance of the old courthouse.
It’s the same amount the county has budgeted for 2024, but aldermen were aware of spending through May 31 – of which only about $63,000 was reported. In fact, about $300,000 more was spent in the last two weeks on a roofing and masonry project.
Elpers said work to remediate radon in the basement, as well as a window project, would likely be funded through the 2025 budget.
The current tenant in the basement, the haunted house, is working to remove their belongings from the building after tests showed it would not be safe for them to operate the attraction this year, Elpers said. He said they do not yet know what the cleanup costs will be.
According to the haunted house’s website, operations will be moved to a new location on Main Street. This will place the catacombs under the House of Lecter at 325 Main Street and transform them into the Catacombs of Doom. The Old Courthouse Catacombs have been in operation for more than 40 years.
