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January is Radon Awareness Month

REGION- The Central Michigan District Health Department (CMDHD) wants to remind you that testing for radon in your home, office, and school is an important way to protect your health. You cannot see, smell, or taste radon, so testing is the only way to determine if radon is a problem in your indoor environment.

Radon has been determined to be the most serious cancer-causing agent that the public encounters in the environment. “In the winter months when doors and windows are closed, radon can rise in our homes, so this is the best time to test,” stated Steve King, Director of Environmental Health Services for CMDHD.

Radon is a naturally occurring gas that is measured in picocuries (pCi/L). The average national indoor radon level is 1.3 pCi/L. The EPA’s radon action level is 4 pCi/L. See the chart below for the average indoor radon levels and highest test result recorded in the CMDHD region:

Average High:

  • Arenac County 1.1 pCi/L 28.5 pCi/L
  • Clare County 2.4 pCi/L 18.5 pCi/L
  • Gladwin County 2 pCi/L 8.3 pCi/L
  • Isabella County 1.9 pCi/L 17.5 pCi/L
  • Osceola County 1.9 pCi/L 20.6 pCi/L
  • Roscommon County 1.7 pCi/L 8.3 pCi/L

This January, participate in our “Give a Can, Get a Kit” event where bringing in a non-perishable item, to be donated to a local food pantry, will get you a FREE radon test kit. During the entire month of January, test kits at all branch offices of CMDHD will be discounted to $5 or free with a donation of a nonperishable food item.

All food and radon test kit money collected in January is given to a local food pantry to replenish the shelves after the holidays. Radon tests are easy to do, and kits are available at most local health departments. “You should test your home for radon if you have never tested, moved to a new home, recently remodeled, or it has been several years since testing,” says Director King. Small cracks in the foundation can develop over time as buildings settle, providing additional pathways for radon to enter.

“Give a Can, Get a Kit” and protect your family by testing for this unseen hazard while helping your community, too. More general radon information is available by calling CMDHD or visiting the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Website at https://www.epa.gov/radon or the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) at http://www.michigan.gov/radon .

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