January is National Radon Action Month. Greene County environmental health administrator Chuck Wenthold reminds residents of the following facts about radon:
*Radon is a radioactive gas that is colorless, odorless, and tasteless. It originates in the soil from the natural decay of uranium that exists in or below most soils and enters the home through cracks, around pipes or conduit openings, through sump pumps and drain tiles, between the floor and wall joints in a basement, and even from negative pressure drawing the gas into the home.
The only way to know if your home has radon is to test for it.
*In the United States, radon is the first leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers, and the second leading cause of lung cancer overall.
*The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that radon causes approximately 21,000 deaths per year nationally, most of these are preventable.
*The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has set a recommended radon action level of 4 picocuries per liter (pCi/L). The EPA recommends that all Iowa homes be tested for radon and homes over 4 pCi/L be fixed.
*Iowa has the highest percentage of homes above 4 pCi/L in the United States.
Free radon test kits are available at Wenthold’s office in the Greene County auditor’s office at the courthouse; at Greene County public health at Greene County Medical Center; at the ISU Extension & Outreach Greene County office; and at the public libraries in Churdan, Grand Junction, Paton, Rippey and Scranton.
More information about radon exposure is available at http://www.idph.state.ia.us/radon and http://www.epa.gov/radon
