Test for radon can save a life

January is National Radon Action Month, and the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control announced today that it encourages all South Carolinians to test their homes for radon so they can find it, fix it, and potentially save a life. A free radon test kit can be ordered from DHEC’s website at www.scdhec.gov/radon or by calling 1-800-768-0362. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that radon is responsible for more than 21,000 lung cancer-related deaths each year – an increase from the 20,000 deaths it estimated in previous years. This estimate makes radon the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers and the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. Radon is a naturally-occurring, invisible, odorless, tasteless gas that comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock, and water and gets into the air we breathe. It can get into buildings through foundation cracks, construction joints, or plumbing and may reach harmful levels if it gets trapped inside homes.  If a home is found to have high levels of radon, the level can be greatly reduced for about the same cost as other common home repairs. To request a kit or for more information on radon, radon testing and mitigation, and radon-resistant new construction, visit www.scdhec.gov/radon.