ALABAMA A&M and AUBURN UNIVERSITIES

OCTOBER 17-24 IS NATIONAL RADON AWARENESS WEEK

AUBURN, OCT. 15---To alert Americans to the dangers of radon exposure, the Federal government has declared Oct. 17-24 as "National Radon Awareness Week."

Radon is an odorless, colorless, tasteless gas formed from the natural breakdown of subsurface uranium. In outdoor air, radon is diluted to very low concentrations and isn't

threatening. When it is released into highly concentrated areas, such as homes, it can accumulate and threaten the people who live there, says Dr. Jesse LaPrade, Extension environmental specialist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers radon one of the nation's most serious public health risks. Radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the United

States, just behind tobacco smoke. The EPA estimates exposure to the gas is responsible for up to 30,000 lung-cancer cases each year in the United States. People who live in homes with high

radon levels are at the greatest risk.

EPA has set an action level for radon at 4 picocuries per liter of air (4 piC/L) and advises homeowners to test their homes to ensure radon exposure stays below this level. In some cases,

exposure levels of only 2 piC/L may pose a risk to some people, especially elderly people with lung ailments who have been exposed to these levels for many years, LaPrade says.

The EPA and Alabama Department of Public Health, in cooperation with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System and other state and federal agencies, have identfied16 Alabama counties that have the highest potential for radon exposure and health-related risks. These counties include Blount, Calhoun, Clay, Cleburne, Colbert, Coosa, Franklin, Jackson, Jefferson,

Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Morgan, Shelby and Talladega.

Extension agents in these counties have been trained in and provided with literature about radon risks. They offer a wide array of awareness activities in schools and 4-H programs as well

as seminars to realtors and homebuilders. County agents also encourage testing for radon by offering test kits for a non-profit cost of about $5 a kit.

SOURCE: DR. JESSE LAPRADE, Extension environmental specialist, Alabama Cooperative Extension System (334) 844-5533.