January is radon awareness month and the Department of Public Health says if you don’t know the level of radon in your home it’s time to get it tested. Radon is a serious health risk facing tens of thousands of Americans. Exposure to radon gas causes more than 20,000 deaths annually and it is the number one cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. We cannot see, smell, or taste radon, so it’s easy to forget that it may be a problem in any home, school, or building in the country.
“The problems with our homes are over their lifetime they settle and crack form. Those hairline cracks you can see in your basement floor or the bare earth in your crawl space can cause radon to seep through and enter your home.”
That’s State Radon Program Manager Pat Daniels. In order to know it’s in your home, you must test for it. You can purchase radon tests at big box stores. Entries are now being accepted for the Illinois Emergency Management Agency’s Radon Awareness Student Art Contest. The contest is for students aged 9-14 and 1st through 3rd place will receive cash prizes. More information can be found at lung dot O-R-G.
