Radon Gas Increases Lung Cancer Risk
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 19, 2006
Contact
Michael Flanagan, Environmental Health Specialist I
(217) 531-2908
Diana Yates, Communications Coordinator
(217) 531-4275
Radon Gas Increases Lung Cancer Risk
Free Radon Test Kits Available From Public Health
January is National Radon Action Month, and Public Health is drawing attention to this invisible health threat by making radon test kits available to Champaign County residents free of charge.
Radon is an odorless and tasteless radioactive gas found at very low levels in outdoor air and in the soil. When radon gas enters homes it can build to higher levels and threaten health. According to the federal Environmental Protection Agency, exposure to indoor radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States and the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers.
The only way to determine whether radon gas is seeping into your home from the soil is to conduct a test. Short-term radon test kits are available at no cost at the Health District satellite office at 815 N. Randolph Street in Champaign. The kits must be used in the home for a minimum of 48 hours, with windows and doors closed.
The Champaign County Public Health Department supports the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District’s efforts to provide this service to all residents of the county.
Contact Health District Sanitarian Michael Flanagan, (217) 373-7900, for more details.
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