Of A Radon-Resistant Home Greener Living=Healthier Indoor Air (NAPSA)—If you wantto live a more sustainable life and protect your family from cancer, you may want to learn more about one of the home’s most dangerouspollutants—radon. Radon is a cancercausing natural radioactive gas that you can’t see, smell or taste. It’s the leading cause of lung cancer among nonsmokers and claims about 20,000 lives every year. Although lung cancer can be treated, the survival rate is one of the lowest for those with cancer. Fortunately, many of the causes of lung cancer can be prevented— and this is especially true for radon. The Office of the Surgeon General has issued a health advisory warning Americans about the risk from breathing radon in indoor air. Americans are urged to test their homes to find out how much radon they might be breathing. Radon comes from the natural (radioactive) breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water and gets into the air you breathe. Radon can be found all over the U.S. It can get into any type of building—homes, offices and schools—and can climb to high levels if it’s trapped indoors. For most Americans, the greatest exposure to radon is in their homes, whether those homes are old or new. Any home, any type, any location can have a radon problem. All homes need to be tested unless the building is a high-rise above the third floor. If your home has not been tested, nowis a good time to take thetest. This will help protect your family’s health andit’s easy to do. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends homes BUILD GREEN A RADON-RESISTANT AN Peian ease as)04 YOUR FAMILY FROM LUNG CANCER. —\ EPA.GOV/RADON 202-343-9418 ee The indoor air quality of your home can affect your family’s health. be fixed if the radon level is 4 picocuries per liter of air (4pCi/L) or above. While testing can be easy andinexpensive, millions of Ameri- cans still need to have their first home radon test to protect their family. You can test your home your- self or hire a professional. Reliable testing devices are available by phone or mail order and can be purchased in hardware and home improvementstores. Fixing a radon problem is easy too—and doesn’t haveto be costly. Radon reduction systems can lower radon to an acceptable level. Even very high levels can be reduced to a saferlevel. “It’s inexpensive to build a new home with radon-resistant features. A better home will be both greeener for the planet and healthier for your family,” said Fuad Reveiz, a member of the National Association of Home Builders. For help in identifying radon companies, call your state radon office or visit www.epa.gov/iaq/ whereyoulive.html. For more information, call 1- 800-SOS-RADON (1-800-7677236) or visit www.epa.gov/radon.
