Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Encourages Home Radon Testing During National Radon Action Month
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 23, 2023
Contact
Jennifer Schroeder,
Environmental Health Specialist II
(217) 531-2929 /
Tanya Giannotti, Public Relations
(217) 531-2925 /
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Encourages Home Radon Testing During National Radon Action Month
Radon Gas Causes More Than 20,000 Lung Cancer Deaths in the Country Each Year; 48% of Homes Tested in Champaign County Have High Radon Levels
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, schools, and workplaces for its presence. 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.
CUPHD has home radon test kits available for $7.00, which can be picked up at in Environmental Health Division at 201 W. Kenyon Road in Champaign, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. A free tshirt is also available with purchase until supplies run out. The test kits provided by CUPHD are safe and easy to use.
The Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) has a school screening program available to help schools with the cost of performing radon testing. The Illinois School Code allows district employees to complete an IEMA-approved online training course in order to perform radon screening, which eliminates the cost of hiring a licensed radon measurement contractor. More information on this
program can be found at https://iema.illinois.gov/nrs/radon/schoolscreeningprogram.html.
Additionally, the American Lung Association along with the IEMA host the annual statewide Illinois Radon Poster Contest and Illinois Radon Video Contest. Students from Mahomet-Seymour High School won an honorable mention for their video last year. More information, as well as last year’s winners and honorable mentions, can be found at https://www.lung.org/local-content/il/radon-poster and https://www.lung.org/local-content/il/radon-video.
For more information on radon and home radon test kits, contact CUPHD at (217) 373-7900 or visit www.c-uphd.org/radon.
###