Radon Education Grant Received

La Plata County Extension and 4CORE are teaming up to raise radon awareness. EPA has approved grant request for Radon Education in Southwest Colorado through Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. CSU Extension will provide workshops beginning in December to discuss the impacts and prevalence of radon in our area.  Short term radon test kits will be available.  In addition, 4CORE will conduct radon testing and education for low-income residents.

“I’m very pleased that we’re going to be able to provide this resource again and that we will have kits again,” said Wendy Rice, Extension Agent.  “There are a variety of factors that can impact the amount of radon drawn into a home. Two homes, sitting side by side, could have completely different radon levels,” she explained.  “You just can’t tell without testing.”

Radon has been definitively linked to lung cancer after long-term exposure. It is the primary cause of lung cancer second only to cigarette smoking, though it is easy to prevent through testing and mitigation.

EPA recommends mitigation for homes testing at four (4) picocuries per liter (pCi/l) or greater. Figures released by EPA showed that homes in Colorado are at high risk because of granite and soil content. Levels in La Plata County have ranged from 1 - 315 pCi/L.  If mitigation is needed it should only be done by National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) certified technicians.

The screening kit provided by CSU Extension Office ($5 with class/$10 without) is a complete three-day screening test that has no additional reading costs. The kit is a reliable tool and if results above four pCi/l are received, an additional test should be conducted before mitigation takes place.

The kits are easy to use and any interested resident is encouraged to contact the Extension office about participating in the testing program at 970-382-6465.

Low-income residents should contact 4CORE at 970-259-1916 to determine eligibility and schedule a test.

4CORE brings Healthy Homes Grant to La Plata County

4CORE is launching the Healthy Homes Project to increase community awareness of public health issues related to residential indoor air pollution. The goal is to share low- or no-cost methods for reducing indoor air pollution health risks for vulnerable populations, including low income families, children and the elderly.

4CORE received an Environmental Justice Grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to fund this effort in La Plata County. Throughout the next year the project will conduct 18 presentations across the county to provide information on topics such as asthma, radon, carbon monoxide poisoning, second-hand smoke and Sick Home Syndrome.

“The EPA says we spend an average of 80-90% of our time indoors and this air can be two- to five-times more polluted than air outdoors,” states Gregg Dubit, Executive Director of 4CORE. “We are excited to be able to provide this information to our region’s low-income populations, especially children and elderly people who are particularly at risk.”

A long-term goal of the project is to improve the health of program participants through improved indoor air quality in their homes as a result of information gained from presentations. Participants will receive free radon test kits, carbon monoxide alarms and information on low- or no-cost methods for the reduction of home-based health hazards.

Key partners in the project include: San Juan Basin Health Department, Housing Solutions for the Southwest and the Regional Housing Alliance. Interested community organizations, low-income housing developments and health providers are encouraged to contact 4CORE at 970-259-1916 to schedule a presentation.  For more information, visit www.fourcore.org.

Test, fix, save a life - National Radon Action Month

There is much that we all do, at least in part, to maintain our health.  Eat right, exercise, shop organic, "green" our homes.  However, one of the most important things you can do for your health is little known and seldom discussed.  Radon is the number two cause of lung cancer next to smoking (and the leading cause of lung cancer for non-smokers). However, alarm bells are not going off as they should be for a health risk resulting in over 21,000 deaths annually. 

Watch this quick radon awareness video to hear of one man's personal struggle with radon-related lung cancer.

Possibly the lack of alarm and awareness about radon is because it is an invisible, colorless, odorless radioactive gas. It comes from the natural breakdown of uranium found in almost all soils.  Radon moves up through the ground and enters homes through cracks and other holes in the foundation, getting trapped in homes, leading to potentially dangerous levels.  The only way to know if you have radon in your home is to test.

This issue has not created a great deal of public outcry in our community, but it is not for a lack of effort.  Locally, Colorado State University Extension Office in conjunction with San Juan Basin Health Department has offered numerous radon awareness community presentations, giving out free kits to residents and sharing this map identifying radon levels in homes tested in the Durango/La Plata County region.

January is National Radon Action Month, and although we are well into the month, add this important item to the top of your New Year's resolution list.  Go to a presentation in your community, test your home, and know your number.  (For La Plata County, see this list of upcoming presentations.)

4CORE has applied for funding to become trained in radon testing and mitigation in order to better serve the clients whose homes we weatherize.  Together let's move this issue forward in our community, making it the high priority that it needs to be.

About the Author: Claire Ninde

After gaining valuable experience for five years in the for-profit world as Business Manager and Partner at a local public relations firm, Claire is thrilled to be back in the non-profit world as the Weatherization Leveraging Coordinator. Claire previously worked at two local non-profits and was involved in program administration, advocacy and fundraising.