Jennifer Schroeder,
Environmental Health Specialist II
217-531-2929 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Encourages Home Radon Testing During Radon Action Month

Radon Gas Causes More Than 20,000 Lung Cancer Deaths in the Country Every Year; Champaign County’s Tested Homes on Average are Above the Radon Action Level

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.

Champaign-Urbana Public Health District has home radon test kits currently available for $7.00, which can be picked up at the Environmental Health Division at 201 W. Kenyon Road in Champaign, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. A free t-shirt is also available with purchase until supplies run out. The test kits provided by CUPHD are safe and easy to use.

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. The average radon level in tested Champaign County homes is 4.9 which is above the action level. A list of licensed measurement and mitigation professionals