This January, in recognition of National Radon Action Month, the Henry and Stark County Health Departments are raising awareness about the dangers of radon gas, a colorless, odorless radioactive substance linked to lung cancer, estimated to cause 21,000 deaths annually. Found in 66% of homes in Henry County and 92% in Stark County, radon emanates from natural uranium decay in the soil. Health Promotion Director RaeAnn Tucker emphasized the prevalence of radon in all types of homes across Illinois. Residents are urged to test their homes using radon detection kits now available for $15 at the Henry and Stark County Health Department offices and First Choice Clinics in Kewanee, Colona, and Toulon. If radon levels, above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (USEPA) action level of 4 picocuries per liter of air (pCi/L), are detected in your home, the Health Department can provide you with information regarding radon mitigation on our website at www.henrystarkhealth.com.
RaeAnn Tucker, Health Department Director of Health Promotion, notes, “It really doesn’t matter where you live in Illinois or what type of home you live in, because we’ve seen excessive radon in every county in Illinois, and in every type of home – old, new, with basements, with a crawlspace or on a slab.”