The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District is working to raise awareness about the threat of radon during National Radon Action Month.
CUPHD has radon test kits available for $6.00. Test kits may be picked up at the Environmental Health Division of CUPHD located at 201 West Kenyon Road in Champaign; kits are available Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. A free t-shirt is also available with purchase until supplies run out.
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.
The test kits provided by CUPHD are safe and easy to use. Simply open the test kit, and place the radon detector in a designated area in the home for a minimum of 48 hours, with windows and doors closed. After 48 hours, place the detector in the enclosed postage-paid envelope and send it to a lab for a free analysis. The lab will then inform you of your radon test results.
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.
Forty-eight percent of homes tested in Champaign County have high radon levels.
Radon presents a serious health risk, but it can be controlled easily and cost-effectively. 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.
CUPHD also recommends schools test their buildings since kids and teachers spend a majority of their time at school.
The Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) has a School Screening Program available to help schools with the cost of performing radon testing.
“To reduce the cost to school districts for the radon tests, the Illinois School Code allows school district employees to complete an online training course approved by IEMA in order to perform screening measurements in their district school buildings. By using a trained school district employee to conduct the tests, districts won’t have the expense of hiring a licensed radon measurement contractor,” according to the IEMA website.
For more information on the School screening program, please visit https://www.illinois.gov/iema/NRS/Radon/Pages/SchoolScreeningProgram.aspx or contact Patrick Daniels at IEMA, patrick.daniels@illinois.gov.
For more information on radon or radon test kits for your home, please contact CUPHD at (217) 373-7900 or visit CUPHD on the web at www.c-uphd.org/radon.
