Press Release:   January is Radon Action Month

Date:   December 28, 2011

Contact:   Vicki Duey, Four Corners Health Department

January is Radon Action Month and is a great time for Nebraskans to test their homes for radon.   During winter homes are closed up and can trap the toxic gas.   Its presence in your home can pose a danger to your family’s health.

“Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer for people who have never smoked,” said Vicki Duey, Executive Director of the Four Corners Health Department.  “If you smoke and your home has high radon levels, your risk of having cancer is especially high”.

Radon is a cancer-causing natural radioactive gas that you can’t see, smell or taste, but is the second leading cause of lung cancer in American and claims about 20,000 lives annually. Radon gas comes from the decay of naturally occurring uranium in the earth’s soil and can accumulate indoors to dangerous levels. It can enter homes through cracks or holes in concrete floors or walls, sump pits, and drinking water from private wells. Once trapped inside an enclosed space, radon can accumulate.

For homeowners wanting to see if they are being exposed to radon, the suggested method is to start with a short-term (48 – 72 hours) test. This is a do-it-yourself test that is easy to use. You must maintain closed home conditions for 12 hours prior to and during the test. This means all windows closed and entry/exit openings kept to a minimum. The test should be placed in the lowest level of your home where you spend time, and placed about the level of a coffee table or end table.

The U.S. Congress has set a long term goal that indoor radon levels be no more than outdoor levels; about 0.4 pCi/L of radon is normally found in the outside air.  If your initial short-term test yields results of 10.0 pCi/L or more, another short-term test is recommended to verify the results of the initial test.  If the second test also yields results above the action level, mitigation of the home is recommended.  Long term tests are also available through Radon contractors.

In 2011 Four Corners gave homeowners almost 400 test kits.  Of the 184 kits completed since that time, the results are as follows:

• 8% were less than 4.0 pCi/L
• 38% were in the 4.0 to 9.9 pCi/L range
• 50% were in the 10.0 pCi/L and higher range
• 4% error rate

During the Month of January, Four Corners Health Department in cooperation with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services will be again providing radon test kits at no cost to homeowners in the Four Corners District wishing to test for Radon.

The testing kits can be picked up during January at the Four Corners Health Department in York, Seward Extension Office in Seward, Polk County Health Department in Osceola, and Butler County Health Care Center in David City.

If you have questions regarding radon, call Four Corners Health Department at 877-337-3573 or go to www.fourcorners.ne.gov