Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S., with about 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year attributable to radon exposure. In New England alone, about 1,000 people die each year from lung cancer due to radon exposure.

"The new information helps us protect public health in areas where elevated levels of radon present risk," said Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Bradley Campbell "Testing for radon is simple and inexpensive, and elevated levels can readily be lowered."

Radon mitigation systems can be installed at an average cost of $1,200. DEP provides a list of certified businesses that offer testing and mitigation services. Do it yourself test kits also can be obtained from many hardware stores and local health departments.

All radon test results conducted in New Jersey are reported to DEP by certified companies performing the tests or that manufacture test kits. This data is used to classify municipalities into a three tier system according to the potential for identifying homes with indoor radon problems.

The Department determines the number of homes in which a radon test was performed and the percentage of those homes with a test result that was greater than or equal to the guidance level of four (4) picoCuries per liter (pCi/L).

The average indoor radon level in the United States is about 1.3 pCi/L. At the level of 4 pCi/L, DEP recommends a homeowner consider steps to reduce long-term exposure to radon gas.

The tier system classifies municipalities as having high (Tier 1), moderate (Tier 2) or low (Tier 3) potential for indoor radon levels.

DEP will provide municipalities whose radon designation was upgraded to Tiers 1 and 2 with materials to develop an outreach program for homeowners. Activities to increase awareness about the need for testing include local proclamations, news flyers and presentations to community groups.

For more information, homeowners can contact DEP's Radon Section at (800) 648-0394 or visit www.njradon.org.

A Massachusetts school district has been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for its radon remediation work. The Belchertown School District was awarded the National "EPA Indoor Environments - Radon in Schools Excellence Award" this week for its exemplary efforts to identify and promptly mitigate elevated levels of radon gas at one of its elementary schools.

The district's efforts successfully reduced elevated levels of radon to well below EPA's safety standards at the Swift River Elementary School where it was detected by testing in January 2003.

Accepting the award on behalf of the school district, Superintendent of Schools for Belchertown Richard Pazasis, said, "Belchertown consistently adheres to its number one district-wide goal, to protect the health and safety of all students, school personnel, and visitors. This goal includes paying attention to the ever-changing environmental challenges which face schools. I thank everyone who worked with us to make this effort a success."

More information about radon is available at: http://www.epa.gov/radon/ or by calling the Massachusetts Department of Public Health's Radon Hotline at 1-800-723-6695.