Indiana health officials: test your home for radon

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.—The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) is urging homeowners to test their homes for radon.

Radon is a radioactive gas that occurs naturally is many soils that is tasteless, colorless, and odorless.

The gas is the second-leading cause of lung cancer and for non-smokers, the number one cause of the disease.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), radon is responsible for over 20,000 lung cancer related death in the United States each year.

There is no safe level of radon, but the EPA and United States Surgeon General recommend fixing homes that have levels at or above 4pCi/L (picocurie per liter).

The EPA has predicted that nearly one-third of all Indiana counties average indoor radon levels of 4pCi/L, including St. Joseph, Elkhart, LaGrance, Kosciusko, Marshal, Starke, Noble and Fulton counties.

ISDH and the American Lung Association are partnering with county health departments to provide Indiana residents with free radon test kits for individuals to use in their homes.

A list of local health departments can be found here.

Test kits can also be purchased from most home improvement and hardware stores.

If high levels of radon are found, licensed contractors can install mitigation systems to eliminate the problem.

To learn more about radon, visit the ISDH’s website or the EPA’s “Citizen’s Guide to Radon.”