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.