This article is brought to you by Solidarity Community Federal Credit Union. 🤔 Who else allows you to earn rewards all while at the comfort of your couch? With Debit Card Rewards from Solidarity, earn 1 point for every $3 spent with your Solidarity Debit Card! 😎
🖱️ Click here Debit Card Rewards – Solidarity Community Federal Credit Union (solfcu.org) to see all of great rewards!
#Solidarity #solidaritycommunityfederalcreditunion #debitcardrewards #earnrewardsnow
By Kristina Sommers
Howard County Health Department
Have you heard of radon? Many people haven’t, yet it has a major health impact in the United States. As the second leading cause of lung cancer, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Surgeon General’s Office estimate that radon causes more than 21,000 lung cancer deaths per year.
Of those deaths, 2,900 of them occurred among individuals who never smoked.
So, what is this below-the-radar killer, and where does it come from?
Radon is a radioactive gas that originates from the ground. Like carbon monoxide, it is colorless and odorless. A lightweight gas, it easily penetrates homes, businesses, and schools. It can enter through cracks in foundations, or it can enter through a well water supply.
Inhaling radon is extremely harmful to your lungs. According to surveys conducted by the EPA, the earth beneath Howard County is rich in radon and average indoor levels are predicted above 4pCi/L, the maximum limit of exposure.
How do you know if it’s in your home if you can’t see or smell it? The only way is to use a radon test kit. Fortunately, the test kits are relatively inexpensive and are easy to set up.
There are two basic kinds: short-term test kits and long-term test kits. The short-term test kits let you know if radon is in a building and only take 2-7 days to administer. Long-term test kits let you know how much radon is in a building and take at least 90 days to administer. Both types of test kits are available at home improvement stores and online.
Conduct radon tests in the lowest level of a building that is regularly used (occupied several hours several days a week). Radon levels can vary house to house. Test your home even if a neighbor has low results for their home. Radon levels can change over time. The EPA recommends retesting your home every two years.
January is National Radon Month, and it is a perfect month to test for radon. The test usually specifies for the home to be closed (i.e. no open windows, although regular opening of the door to enter and leave the house is fine).
Test your home for radon this month. Talk to your employer about testing your workplace.
Stay up-to-date on the latest public health topics by following or liking the Howard County Health Department on social media (Facebook, Instagram, and X).
Thank you for the article.