Free Kits Still Available For Radon Testing At Health District

By John Voket

Many visitors who have come to the Newtown Municipal Center in recent days to pay property taxes have been leaving with a little free gift that health officials say could save their lives, or at least help protect them from a dangerous cancer-causing threat.

Health District Director Donna Culbert told The Newtown Bee this week that her office has distributed a substantial amount of home radon test kits, which the district makes available to residents on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last. The giveaway is an important part of the promotion during January –— Radon Action Month in Connecticut.

Her office is working with the Connecticut Department of Public Health, the American Lung Association of Connecticut, and US Environmental Protection Agency urging Newtowners to test their homes for radon, and, if necessary, mitigating high levels, when found.

“Radon is a naturally occurring colorless and odorless radioactive gas,” Ms Culbert explained in a release. “Radon enters the home through small cracks and holes in the basement. At levels above 4 picocuries per liter it can increase one’s risk of getting lung cancer.”

State Health Commissioner Dr J. Robert Galvin added that radon is present at elevated levels in about one out of every five homes in Connecticut.

“However, because you can’t see or smell radon, people often are unaware that there might be a silent killer in their homes,” Dr Galvin said.

Public health officials have found that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, behind cigarette smoking, and the leading cause among nonsmokers.

“If you smoke cigarettes and have radon in your home, then your risk of getting lung cancer is even greater,” Ms Culbert said. “According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated as many as 30,000 Americans die from radon-induced lung cancer each year.”

She added that Newtown is in an area of the country where elevated radon levels in homes are quite common.

“Most of Connecticut is located in a zone where there is a high to moderate potential for having a radon issue in the air or water in one’s home,” she said. “Yet, very few people are testing for radon. Now is a good time of year to test.”

The only way to find out if your home has radon is to test for it. And the heating season is the best time to test for radon because your home is closed up, and radon levels tend to build up indoors.

The Department of Public Health, US Environmental Protection Agency and the American Lung Association of Connecticut are partnering together to promote radon testing and mitigation during Radon Action Month.

If you are interested in testing your home for radon the Newtown Health District has a limited number of free radon test kits remaining for residents of Newtown, Bridgewater, and Roxbury. The Newtown Health District office at Newtown Municipal Center is open from 7 am to 4:30 pm.

Ms Culbert invites anyone seeking additional information about Radon Action Month or testing may call the Newtown Health District at 203-270-4291 or visit the website www.newtown-ct.gov; click on Town Departments, click on Health Department, and then click on radon.

Or contact the Connecticut Department of Public Health Radon Program at 860-509-7367, or visit its website at www.ct.gov/dph, click on Programs and Services and then click on “R” for radon.