National Radon Action Month

During January, Learn about National Radon Action Month

You can’t see, smell or taste radon, but it can be present at a dangerous level in your home. Further, radon is the leading cause of lung cancer deaths among nonsmokers in America. For example, it claims the lives of about 21,000 Americans each year. In fact, the EPA and the U.S. Surgeon General urge all Americans to protect their health by testing their homes, schools and other buildings for radon. For this reason, it is important to learn about radon during National Radon Action Month in January.

In addition, exposure to radon is a preventable health risk and testing radon levels in your home can help prevent unnecessary exposure. Furthermore, if a high radon level is detected in your home, you can take steps to fix the problem to protect yourself and your family.

National Radon Action Month is represented by the color blue. Wear a blue enamel awareness pin, fabric wristband, or blue silicone wristband bracelet to call attention to this important awareness month. An additional color that can also call attention to National Radon Action Month is black and gold. Should you choose to use this color combination instead, a non-personalized and personalized version are available.

Take Action in January

Radon Leaders Saving Lives campaign is an online learning and action network hosted by the Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors, or CRCPD, with contributions from industry and EPA.

Things You Can Do During National Radon Action Month

1. Test your home – EPA and the U.S. Surgeon General recommend that all homes in the U.S. be tested for radon. In fact, testing is easy and inexpensive. For this reason, learn more about testing your home, including how to obtain an easy-to-use test kit.
2. Attend a National Radon Action Month event in your area – Look for radon events in your community.
3. Spread the word
4. Spend time during National Radon Action Month encouraging others to learn about radon and test their homes.
5. Tell your family and friends about the health risk of radon. Encourage them to test their homes.
   • Plan an activity in your community to help raise awareness.
   • Further, attract media attention by working with a local official to get a radon proclamation.
   • Lastly, view EPA’s free radon publications.
6. Buy a radon-resistant home – Read more about radon-resistant new construction, “Building Radon Out: A Step-by-Step Guide to Build Radon-Resistant Homes” (PDF).
   • Build Green: It’s Easy to Build New Homes Radon-Resistant. The good news is you can build a safer, healthier, radon-resistant home. The techniques to prevent radon from entering a home are practical and straightforward for any builder. In fact, it’s an inexpensive way to offer families a benefit that reduces their risk of lung cancer.

Special Radon Messages

In addition, as you conduct radon outreach throughout the year, consider incorporating messages to test for radon, fix radon problems, and build radon resistant homes with other environmental health messages and special events.

The following are some examples of seasonal messages you can use at different times of the year:

• February – Protect Your Loved Ones. Test for Radon. (Valentine’s Day)
• April – Don’t Be Foolish. Test Your Home for Radon. (April Fool’s Day)
• May/August – Breathe With Ease. Fix Your Home By Reducing Radon Gas. (Clean Air Month)
• June – Living Green is Healthier. Build Radon-Resistant Homes. (Home Safety Month)
• October – Protect Your Children From Radon. Test Your Home. (Children’s Health Month)
• November – Radon is the Leading Cause of Lung Cancer Among Non-Smokers. (Lung Cancer Awareness Month)
• December – Give the Gift of Health. Protect Loved Ones by Reducing Radon in Your Home. (Holiday Season)

(Image: Adobe Stock)