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By Lindsay Carlton | Fox News
It's the second leading cause of lung cancer. And you don't even know when it's present: radon. It’s an odorless tasteless gas that seeps up through the ground and diffuses into the air—and often times, right into your home.
EPA Indoor Environments Division sent this bulletin at 02/01/2019 11:00 AM EST
During National Cancer Prevention Month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) are working to inform Americans about how lifestyle can help reduce cancer risk and keep you healthy.
Research has shown that minimizing your exposure to radon and secondhand tobacco smoke can help reduce your risk of developing some types of cancer.
About 30,000 Americans or 20 percent of people who died from lung cancer in the United States in 2018 never smoked or used any form of tobacco. Researchers have made significant progress in understanding what causes lung cancer in people who have never smoked.
A few simple changes can help reduce your risk—
- Test your home for radon. Radon claims the lives of about 21,000 Americans each year; it is also the leading cause of lung cancer death among nonsmokers in the United States. If elevated levels are found, they can be reduced.
- Make your home smoke-free, smoke outside or quit smoking.
Learn more about National Cancer Prevention Month from the AICR.
Article courtesy of the United States Environmental Protection Agency
View the flip book to learn about radon.
In Illinois:
January 1, 2012, Public Act 97-0021 became effective.
It is a new law to help people who rent apartments, condominiums or houses, access information about radon levels in their homes.
IEMA has developed a brochure, “Radon Guide for Tenants“, which can be viewed on their website, www.radon.illinois.gov.
The new law requires owners of rental units to inform renters in writing before a lease is signed, if the rental space has been tested for radon and that a radon hazard may exist. If the rental unit hasn’t been tested, a renter can conduct a do-it-yourself radon test or ask the owner to test by hiring a licensed radon contractor. If a renter conducts a radon test in the rental unit and if results show high radon levels, the renter should inform the building owner in writing.
Nationally:
In June, 2011 the EPA published “Protecting People and Families from Radon, A Federal Action Plan for Saving Lives”.
www.epa.gov/radon/pdfs/Federal_Radon_Action_Plan.pdf
This Action Plan is a multi-year, collaborative effort, led by the EPA. Healthy People 2020 is a ten year, national agenda for improving the health of all Americans, including the objectives for radon risk reduction.
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