BATTLE MOUNTAIN - Lander County commissioners unanimously approved a proclamation at their Dec. 1 meeting designating January 2012 as National Radon Action Month in Lander County.
The request was made by Extension Educator Rod Davis, who submitted a letter to the commissioners. In his letter, he stated, "The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has designated January as National Radon Action Month. During January, the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension and the Nevada State Health Division, in conjunction with the EPA, will strengthen efforts to educate the public about the dangers of radon and what can be done to minimize the health risk from exposure to elevated levels of indoor radon."
The letter continues, "As part of our education efforts we will offer presentations all over the state so that citizens can learn more about the dangers of radon and provide free test kits at the presentations."
The proclamation reads, whereas, many residents of Lander County don't know about radon, yet need to know, for safety and well-being of their families, and, whereas, radon is a colorless, odorless, naturally occurring radioactive gas that may threaten the health of our citizens and their families.
Whereas, the challenge is that we can't see, smell or taste radon, so it's easy to forget that radon may be a problem in homes, schools and any building in Lander County, and, whereas, radon is the leading cause of lung cancer for nonsmokers in the United States and the second leading cause among smokers.
Whereas, the U.S. EPA estimates 21,000 people in the U.S. die each year from lung cancer caused by indoor radon exposure, and, whereas, radon kills more people than secondhand smoke, drunken driving, falls in the home, drowning or home fires.
Whereas, any home in Lander County may have elevated levels of radon, even if other homes in the same neighborhood do not, and whereas, testing for radon is simple and inexpensive and when identified, the problems can be fixed, and, whereas, the U.S. Surgeon General recommends all homes be tested for radon and fixed if they have 4pCi/l or greater levels of radon.
Whereas, the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, the Nevada State Health Division and the U.S. EPA are supporting efforts to encourage Americans to test their homes for radon, mitigate elevated levels of radon, and have new homes built with radon-reducing materials and features.
Now, therefore, be it resolved, that the Lander County Board of Commissioners do hereby proclaim January 2012 as National Radon Action Month in Lander County.
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