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Governor Gretchen Whitmer has declared January 2019 to be Radon Action Month in Michigan, and she is encouraging all Michigan residents to learn more about this environmental hazard and test their homes.
You cannot see, smell, or taste radon, and there are no short-term side effects to alert you that it is in your home. Testing your home is easy, inexpensive, and the only way to know if you have a radon problem. Long-term exposure to radon increases the risk of developing lung cancer.
Lung cancer accounts for more deaths in both men and women than any other form of cancer in the United States. In 2018, the Department of Health and Human Services predicts there will be an estimated 8,780 new cases of lung cancer and 5,860 deaths from the disease in Michigan. Behind smoking, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer.
One in every four Michigan homes are expected to have radon levels exceeding federal action level of 4 pCi/L. Radon poses a serious threat to our community’s health, but high radon concentrations are easily fixed.
The MDEQ recently released a new video regarding testing your home.
For help getting a radon test kit, go to www.michigan.gov/radon, call 800-723-6642, e‑mail radon@michigan.gov, or just stop by your local hardware store. For more information about radon testing, mitigation, levels across the state, etc., visit www.michigan.gov/radon. For a free packet of information about radon, e-mail radon@michigan.gov, or call us at 1-800-RADON GAS (1-800-723-6642).
