The month of January is recognized as National Radon Action Month to bring about awareness of how to prevent exposure to this dangerous gas. All month long, District Health Department #10 (DHD#10) is giving away free radon test kits to help you determine if radon is present in your home. 

Radon is a naturally occurring, invisible, odorless, tasteless radioactive gas released from rocks, soil, and water. As homes settle, foundations crack, and radon levels change, radon can unknowingly seep inside. If this continues, the long-term effects of breathing in radon could be the development of lung cancer later in life.  

“If radon is present in your home, it has the potential to build up and become harmful,” states Michael Kramer, Environmental Health Director at DHD#10. “Because there are no physical signs: rash, nausea, headache, that will alert people to the presence of radon in their homes, people tend to downplay the health effects and ignore the possibility that danger is lurking.”  

In Michigan, nearly one in four homes is expected to exceed the recommended federal action level and, in some counties, as many as 40-45% of homes could be affected. Because of this, DHD#10 is working to educate the public about the importance of testing their homes and building for radon exposure. Testing should occur in all homes, whether new or old, every two years. The only way to know for sure if a home has a buildup of radon is to test for it. That’s why, January is the perfect time to pick up a free test kit at any one of our ten DHD#10 offices.  

For more information on radon or radon testing, please visit www.epa.gov/radon. You can also call 888-217-3904 to connect with your local DHD#10 Environmental Health office.