WINNEMUCCA - January is National Radon Action Month, and the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension is offering a radon program in Winnemucca on Jan. 9 at 7 p.m. at the Humboldt County Extension Office, 1085 Fairgrounds Road.
Attendees will learn about the health risks of radon, how to test for it and how to fix radon problems. Free radon test kits will be offered to attendees.
Free radon test kits will also be available during the month of January at the Humboldt County Extension Office Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call (775) 623-6304 for more information.
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas present in many homes, schools and buildings, yet few people know about the health risk or have tested for it. Most people associate lung cancer with smoking, but radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among nonsmokers. Every year, radon-induced lung cancer kills more people than secondhand smoke, drunk driving, falls in the home, drowning or home fires. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates 21,000 Americans die each year from lung cancer caused by indoor radon exposure.
Radon-induced lung cancer is highly preventable. A simple three-day test can determine if a house has a radon problem, and winter is an ideal time to test a home for radon. When a home is closed up during cooler weather months, radon concentrations typically increase.
Of 102 homes tested in the county, 34 percent tested at or above the EPA Action Level of 4 picoCuries per liter of air (pCi/l). In McDermitt, 12 out of 20 homes tested found elevated radon levels, two out of four homes in Golconda, three out of three homes in Orovada, one out of one home in Valmy, and 23 percent of 73 homes in Winnemucca had elevated radon levels.
You can't predict which homes will have high radon levels, as two neighboring homes can have very different radon levels. That is why UNCE, EPA and the Nevada State Health Division urge all Nevadans to get their homes tested for radon.
Radon can enter any home - old or new, well-sealed or drafty. Even homes with basements, slab on grade, crawl spaces or no visible foundation cracks are susceptible. Variables that determine radon levels include how the home was constructed, lifestyle factors and the strength of the radon source beneath the house. The only way to know a building's radon levels is to test. If high levels of radon are found, there is a way to reduce or mitigate radon levels.
For more information, visit the Nevada Radon Education Program website, www.RadonNV.com, or call the Radon Hotline, (888) RADON10 (888-723-6610).
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