Wednesday, January 14, 2009
January Is Radon Awareness Month.
Pikeville, Ky.— Pike County Judge Executive Wayne T. Rutherford declared the month of January as “Radon Awareness Month,” yesterday at the Pike County Health Department.
“Pike County is pleased to join in the outreach efforts of the United States Environmental Protection Agency by declaring January to be Radon Awareness Month in the county,” Judge Rutherford said.
“Radon is currently the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, second only to smoking. That’s why it is so important for people to recognize the importance of radon testing in their homes,” said Pike County Health Department’s Senior Health Environmentalist Leslie Hamilton.
According to literature distributed by the health department, radon is a naturally-occurring radioactive soil gas that cannot be detected by sight, taste or smell. Through decay, radon breaks down into sticky, radioactive particles can be inhaled and get trapped in the lungs.
High levels of radon can enter into homes, schools and office buildings through cracks in the buildings’ basements or foundations, cracks in solid floors, construction joints, gaps around service pipes, cavities inside walls and the water supply. Living in homes with high radon levels can be equivalent to smoking 2 packs of cigarettes a day. Those who smoke are at an extreme risk for developing lung cancer if their homes have high concentrations of the gas.
The radon levels in every home should be checked routinely. Testing kits may be purchased at home improvement stores, or they may be obtained for free at the Pike County Health Department, by calling (606) 437-5500.
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“Pike County is pleased to join in the outreach efforts of the United States Environmental Protection Agency by declaring January to be Radon Awareness Month in the county,” Judge Rutherford said.
“Radon is currently the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, second only to smoking. That’s why it is so important for people to recognize the importance of radon testing in their homes,” said Pike County Health Department’s Senior Health Environmentalist Leslie Hamilton.
According to literature distributed by the health department, radon is a naturally-occurring radioactive soil gas that cannot be detected by sight, taste or smell. Through decay, radon breaks down into sticky, radioactive particles can be inhaled and get trapped in the lungs.
High levels of radon can enter into homes, schools and office buildings through cracks in the buildings’ basements or foundations, cracks in solid floors, construction joints, gaps around service pipes, cavities inside walls and the water supply. Living in homes with high radon levels can be equivalent to smoking 2 packs of cigarettes a day. Those who smoke are at an extreme risk for developing lung cancer if their homes have high concentrations of the gas.
The radon levels in every home should be checked routinely. Testing kits may be purchased at home improvement stores, or they may be obtained for free at the Pike County Health Department, by calling (606) 437-5500.
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# posted by Joe Kinzer @ 3:21 PM 
