“Radon Can Harm You Free” Radon Test Activity Will Continue in Carbon, Emery and Grand Counties
Press Release
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has designated January 2022 as National Radon Action Month (NRAM). The purpose of NRAM is to raise awareness of the health effects of radon exposure and promote testing and mitigation through community led activities. In the spirit of NRAM, the Southeast Utah Health Department and Utah Radon Coalition will extend the “Radon Can Harm You” campaign to February 28, 2022 that was initiated in Carbon, Emery and Grand counties in November 2021.
“Campaign activities include furnishing information about the dangers of radon to residents, supplying them free radon tests and providing free radon mitigation services to ten low-income families in the project area who find elevated levels of radon in their home with the free test. If they wish, cancer survivors and caregivers who apply for a test will receive evidence-based cancer survivorship and caregiver information,” said Brittney Garff of the Southeast Utah Health Department.
Michael Siler, President and CEO of the Utah Radon Coalition, noted that the organizations are extending the campaign due to its natural fit with NRAM, and because of its success during November and December. “To date, we have distributed nearly 400 free tests as part of the campaign, more than 25 families have installed mitigation systems in their homes due to finding elevated levels of radon with the free test, we are in process of qualifying low-income families for a free or low-cost mitigation system, and we are providing cancer survivorship and caregiver information to over 20 residents,” he said.
Siler also suggested the free tests have helped point out the magnitude of the radon problem in the three-county area. “We have found the average radon score for all three counties is 4.85 pCi/L, which is above the EPA’s recommended mitigation level. The high radon score found so far is 36.7 pCi/L, which is nine times the recommended mitigation level, and county average radon scores are 7.53 pCi/L for Emery, 4.87 pCi/L for Carbon and 3.34 pCi/L for Grand. Hopefully, this information will form the basis for continued focus on testing and mitigation in the future,” he said.
Residents can apply for the test online at either www.utahradoncoalition.org/free-radon-test or www.seuhealth.com/radon.
“We know lives will be saved if folks take advantage of the test,” Siler said.