Kane County Health Department: Check Your Radon This Month

The Kane County Healthy Places Coalition is urging homeowners to have their homes tested for the presence of this odorless, tasteless and colorless gas as part of National Radon Awareness Month

Radon is a radioactive gas, estimated to cause as many as 20,000 deaths from lung cancer each year throughout the United States. In fact, the Surgeon General has warned that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. today, following tobacco use.

Kane County is designated by the US EPA as an area with a high potential of exceeding the recommended level of radon gas in homes. Test results for homes in Kane County have found that 27 percent of tested homes exceed the recommended limit for radon gas which is 4 pCi/L (picocuries per liter of air). Test results from some areas within Kane County commonly exceed this level.

Testing is the only way to know if you and your family are at risk from radon. The EPA and the Surgeon General recommend testing all homes below the third floor for radon. Testing is inexpensive and easy—it should only take a few minutes of your time. Millions of Americans have already tested their homes for radon.  Do-it-yourself test kits are cheap ($15 to $30) and can be purchased at hardware stores, home improvement stores, and over the Internet. These kits are cost effective and easy ways to screen your home. Professional testing services are also available. To find a professional in your area, visit www.radon.illinois.gov and click on “List of licensed measurement professionals.”

More information about National Radon Awareness Month is available by visiting the U.S. EPA radon website at www.epa.gov/radon. To learn more about the new radon law in Illinois, please visit the IEMA radon website at www.radon.illinois.gov.

The Kane County Health Places Coalition is made up of local agencies from across the county, including municipalities, school districts and health care providers.  Community members interested in improving the environmental health of our residents, especially our children's, are encouraged to join.  US EPA experts will join us and share information with us about resources available and expertise they can offer as we develop our local coalition.

The next meeting for the Healthy Places Coalition will be 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., Wednesday, Feb. 1,  at the Kane County Government Center, Building A, Auditorium, 719 S. Batavia Ave., Geneva. More information about the coalition is available by calling Terri at 630-264-7653.

SOURCE: Kane County Health Department