Learn how to reduce radon health risk

University of Nevada Cooperative Extension offers free radon test kits at public meetings.

Media contact: Tiffany Kozsan, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, kozsant@unce.unr.edu, 775.784.7072

Reno, Nevada. Jan. 21, 2014. January is National Radon Action Month, and University of Nevada Cooperative Extension’s Radon Education Program is offering educational presentations at various locations across the state. Free test kits for homes will also be available at the presentations.

Radon is a radioactive, colorless, odorless and tasteless gas that comes from the ground. It accumulates in homes and can cause lung cancer. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates 21,000 Americans die each year from radon-caused lung cancer, killing more people than secondhand smoke, drunk driving, falls in the home, drowning or house fires.

Radon-caused lung cancer is 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. If radon problems are found, they can be fixed. Find out more and get a free test kit at a presentation in your community:

Remaining presentations scheduled in January are:

• Jan. 21 – North Valleys Library, 1075 N. Hills Blvd. #340, Reno, at 6 p.m.
• Jan. 27 – Carson City Senior Center, 901 Beverly Drive, Carson City, at 6 p.m.
• Jan. 29 – CVIC Hall, 1604 Esmeralda Ave., Minden, at 6 p.m. (Radon Poster Contest Awards follow the program)
• Feb. 4 – Incline Village GID Public Works, 1220 Sweetwater Road, Incline Village, at 6 p.m.

For those who cannot attend a presentation, free radon test kits will also be available through Feb. 28 at University of Nevada Cooperative Extension offices and partner offices statewide. In Washoe County, kits are available at the Washoe County Cooperative Extension, 4955 Energy Way in Reno, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

In Nevada, one in four homes, and in Washoe County, one in five homes already tested have shown radon concentrations at or above the EPA action level. According to experts, living in a home with radon concentrations at the action level poses as much risk of developing lung cancer as smoking half a pack of cigarettes a day.

The Nevada Radon Education Program is a program of University of Nevada Cooperative Extension and is funded by the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health. Since the program began in 2007, more than 36,000 radon test kits have been distributed and more than 18,000 homes have been tested.

Cooperative Extension, the EPA and the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health urge all Nevadans to get their homes tested for radon. For more information, visit the Nevada Radon Education Program website at http://www.unce.unr.edu/radon, call the Radon Hotline at 888-RADON10 (888-723-6610).

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NOTE: 21 percent of homes tested in Washoe County found radon concentrations at or above the EPA action level. For a radon potential map specific to each Nevada county, visit www.unce.unr.edu/programs/sites/radon/results.

University of Nevada Cooperative Extension is the College of the University of Nevada, Reno that is engaged in every Nevada county, presenting research-based knowledge to address critical community needs. It is a county-state-federal partnership providing practical education to people, businesses and communities. For more information on its programs, visit www.unce.unr.edu.