January 08, 2014 –
MAYETTA: January is National Radon Action Month and the Prairie Band Potawatomi’s (PBP) Environmental Protection Agency is participating in getting the word out about the dangers of radon gas. During the month of January, easy-to-use radon test kits are available for free at the PBP Environmental Protection Agency Department located in the We-Ta-Se Building, 15434 K Road, Mayetta, Kan. Kits can also be obtained in other parts of Kansas by going to http://www.kansasradonprogram.org/
The purpose of National Radon Action Month is to increase public awareness of radon, and to promote radon testing and mitigation and to alert the public that there are new radon-resistant construction materials and practices being used. Using common materials and straightforward techniques, builders can construct new homes that are resistant to radon entry inside the home.
Radon is an invisible, odorless and tasteless gas that comes from the breakdown of uranium inside the earth. High levels of radon can present serious health consequences like lung cancer, for example, that often go unnoticed because there are no immediate health symptoms. Children are particularly susceptible since their lungs are smaller and their respiratory rates are twice as high. By the age of 10, a child receives twice the lung dose of an adult who’s been exposed to radon for the same length of time. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer but the good news is that radon can be detected with a simple test kit for the home.
For more information, call EPA Region 7 at 1-800-223-0425 or Shaina White in the PBP EPA Department at 785-966-2946.