Forty-Eight Percent of Homes Tested in Champaign County have High Radon Levels
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 2, 2018
Contact
Jennifer Schroeder
Environmental Health Specialist II
(217) 531-2929 /
Amy Roberts, Public Relations
(217) 531-4264 /
Radon Gas Causes More Than 20,000 Lung Cancer Deaths in the Country Each Year and Forty-Eight Percent of Homes Tested in Champaign County have High Radon Levels
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Encourages Citizens to Test Their Homes with a Radon Test Kit
CHAMPAIGN, IL – January is National Radon Action Month and the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) encourages citizens to learn more about the threat of radon and to test their homes for the presence of radon. CUPHD has radon test kits available for $5.00. Test kits may be picked up at the Environmental Health Division of CUPHD located at 201 West Kenyon Road in Champaign; kits are available Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), exposure to indoor radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers and the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States.
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas released into the air from decaying matter in rocks, soil and water. While levels in outdoor air are relatively harmless, radon can accumulate to dangerous levels inside buildings. Radon is an invisible threat; it cannot be seen, smelled or tasted. The only way to detect radon is to perform a radon test.
The test kits provided by CUPHD are safe and easy to use. Simply open the test kit, and place the radon detector in a designated area in the home for a minimum of 48 hours, with windows and doors closed. After 48 hours, place the detector in the enclosed postage-paid envelope and send it to a lab for a free analysis. The lab will then inform you of your radon test results.
Radon is measured in picocuries per liter of air (pCi/L). The EPA recommends that homes with radon levels of 4 pCi/L or higher should be mitigated. Nationally the average home reading is about 1.3 pCi/L. The average outdoor reading is about 0.4 pCi/L. Forty-eight percent of homes tested in Champaign County have high radon levels.
Radon presents a serious health risk, but it can be controlled easily and cost-effectively. If a high radon level is detected in your home, you can take steps to fix the problem to protect yourself and your family. Test your home and protect your health today.
For more information on radon or radon test kits for your home, please contact CUPHD at (217) 373-7900 or visit CUPHD on-line at www.c-uphd.org/radon.
CUPHD also recommends schools test their buildings since kids spend a majority of their time at school. The Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) has a School Screening Program available to help schools with the cost of performing radon testing. According to IEMA, “To reduce the cost to school districts for the radon tests, the Illinois School Code allows school district employees to complete an online training course approved by IEMA in order to perform screening measurements in their district school buildings. By using a trained school district employee to conduct the tests, districts won't have the expense of hiring a licensed radon measurement contractor.”
For more information on the school screening program, please visit https://www.illinois.gov/iema/NRS/Radon/Pages/SchoolScreeningProgram.aspx or contact Patrick Daniels at IEMA,
According to a May 2017 IEMA news release, “Hundreds of students from across the state recently used their creative talents to increase public awareness about the health hazards of radioactive radon gas in homes. Nearly 800 posters and 141 one-minute YouTube videos were submitted to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and the American Lung Association in Illinois (ALA-IL) for consideration in the annual contests.” https://www.illinois.gov/iema/NRS/Radon/Pages/default.aspx
The poster contest is open for kids ages 9-14, and the video contest is available for high school students. Winners in both categories win monetary prizes.
For more information on the poster and video contests, please visit http://www.healthhouse.org/il.cfm.
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