The University of Nevada Cooperative Extension office in Lander County is offering free radon test kits through Feb. 28 for people to test their homes for the radioactive gas which is the second leading cause of lung cancer, according to the Surgeon General.
Radon in homes is common in Lander County, said Shannon Berumen, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension executive secretary, and urged everyone to come pick up a kit at the cooperative extension office Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Bags with radon education materials are also being given out. Children's materials are available. After Feb. 28, the kits will be $5 and there are an unlimited number available.
The kits were being offered free during the months of January and February in honor of January being National Radon Action Month, said Berumen, coordinator of Lander County's Nevada Radon Education Program.
"It is important that we test to be able to know the levels and so that we can protect ourselves, our families and our friends and in order to do that, it's a simple test that is free," she said.
Berumen added that cooperative extension began handing out the kits in 2010. She said many people set them out in their homes but forget to mail them to the lab. She recommended setting the test kit out on a Friday and mailing it the following Monday.
As part of the spread awareness campaign, cooperative extension puts the banner up around town, posts fliers, has a message on the Battle Mountain Civic Center marquee and puts an announcement in the newspaper. It also holds a poster contest for kids each October.
The radon test kit is made up of activated charcoal inside a plastic box that needs to sit in a home for three days. On the third day, it needs to be shipped to a lab for testing.
People whose homes show a result of four picocuries per liter (pCi/L) or above of radon should take action, advised Berumen. A heavy plastic cover will need to be sealed below the home over the dirt and a pipe should be inserted that leads from under the house out the roof.
Then a fan should be installed to blow the radon out of the roof area. The cost to do this ranges from $800 to $2,500 depending on the size and design of the home. The average cost is $1,200, said Berumen, who added that radon-proofing homes with high levels is essential.
Radon is a naturally occurring gas that comes up from the ground and builds up in homes. It comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water. It is odorless, tasteless and colorless and people do not show symptoms, Berumen said.
It can be found in any home, whether mobile or stick built. In Lander County, it is more common and found at higher levels in the southern end of the county, she added.
The main University of Nevada Cooperative Extension office provides the test kids to Lander County and funds them through grants, Berumen explained.
Those who would like more information can visit www.radonnv.com.
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