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The Porter County Health Department is doing what it can to make the public aware of a silent killer.

To combat the risks of radon, and in conjunction with National Radon Action Month, which is January, the county health department is offering about 100 free radon detection kits per an article in the Post Tribune.

Residents can use the kits to collect samples in their home and then send the kit to be tested for the deadly gas. The health department, with help from the EPA and the American Lung Association, will come up with a remediation plan, said Julia Martin, environmental health specialist with the department.

Radon is a radioactive, colorless, odorless, tasteless noble gas, occurring naturally as the decay product of radium. It is one of the densest substances that remains a gas under normal conditions and is considered to be a health hazard due to its radioactivity.

Radon is responsible for the majority of the mean public exposure to ionizing radiation. It is often the single largest contributor to an individual’s background radiation dose, and is the most variable from location to location. Radon gas from natural sources can accumulate in buildings, especially in confined areas such as attics, and basements. It can also be found in some spring waters and hot spring^s. Epidemiological evidence shows a clear link between breathing high concentrations of radon and incidence of lung cancer. Thus, radon is considered a significant contaminant that affects indoor air quality worldwide. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, radon is the second most frequent cause of lung cancer, after cigarette smoking, causing 21,000 lung cancer deaths per year in the United States.

The health department received the kits free of charge from the American Lung Association and will arrange to get more if needed, Martin said, adding this is the first time the department has offered the kits. The test kits typically cost less than $25.

Scott

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