PROTECTING OUR COMMUNITY’S HEALTH IN THEIR HOMES

RADON: A SILENT KILLER

Citizens Urged to Test Homes for Radon, the Second Leading Cause of Lung Cancer in U.S.

During the month of January 2009, the Town of Manchester Health Department  has partnered with the State Department of Public Health and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in a nationwide campaign to educate Americans about the dangers of radon exposure, and to encourage them to take action to protect their homes and families. In our community, the Manchester Health Department is promoting Radon awareness, and is giving away Free Radon Test kits to the first 50 individuals that contact our office.  Also during January, National Radon Action Month, we are distributing a variety of health information about Radon, and how to test and manage it if found in your home.

Radon is a naturally occurring, invisible, odorless, tasteless gas that is dispersed in outdoor air, but which can reach harmful levels when trapped in buildings. Scientists have long been concerned about the health risks of radon, but never before has there been such overwhelming proof that exposure to elevated levels of radon causes lung cancer in humans.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that radon is responsible for more than 20,000 lung cancer deaths per year. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. after smoking, and the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. “However,” says Maryann Cherniak Lexius, Director of Health for Manchester “because you can’t see or smell radon, people tend to downplay the health effects and ignore the possibility that there might be a silent threat in their homes.”

Testing homes for elevated levels of radon is simple and inexpensive. Radon test kits can be purchased at local hardware and home improvement stores, or directly from radon testing companies. Many are priced under $25.00. Radon problems can be fixed by qualified contractors for a cost similar to that of many common home repairs such as painting, or having a new water heater installed (anywhere from $800 to about $2,500).

The Manchester Health Department urges Manchester residents to take action during this year’s National Radon Action Month by testing their homes for radon. Radon poses a serious threat to our community’s health but there is a straightforward solution. For more information on radon, radon testing and mitigation, and radon-resistant new construction, call The Manchester Health Department at (860) 647-3173, visit our Web site listed above, or visit EPA’s National Radon Action Month Web site at www.epa.gov/radon/nram.