January is National Radon Action Month and the Naugatuck Valley Health District (NVHD) is urging residents to test their homes for radon gas, the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers.
Residents in the towns of Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Derby, Naugatuck, Seymour, and Shelton can pick up a FREE radon test kit at the health department located at 98 Bank St. in Seymour.
Supplies are limited, so please call NVHD at (203) 881‑3255 to make sure test kits are still available before you head to the health department.
The following information regarding radon was shared in the Connecticut Department of Public Health’s press release titled “DPH: Time to Test for Radon:”
- Health officials estimate that radon is responsible for more than 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year in the United States.
- Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas formed from the natural decay of uranium and is found in rock, soil and water.
- Although radon in outdoor air poses a relatively low risk to human health, it can enter homes from the surrounding soil and become a health hazard inside buildings.
- Radon is an invisible gas that has no smell and people often don’t know when this silent killer is in their homes.
- That is why testing for radon and reducing elevated levels is so important. It saves lives and could potentially save yours and the lives of your loved ones.
- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends that homes with radon levels at or above 4.0 pCi/L be fixed.
- Homeowners should consider reducing their potential lung cancer risk by fixing homes with radon levels between 2 pCi/L and 4 pCi/L.
- Smokers exposed to radon have a much higher risk for developing lung cancer.
- Radon problems can be corrected by qualified radon contractors, with costs typically ranging between $1,200 and $1,500.
- A homeowner should hire a qualified radon mitigation (reduction) contractor to decrease airborne radon levels.
- To obtain a list of qualified radon mitigation contractors, please visit the DPH Radon Program web site at www.ct.gov/dph/radon.
