VIDEO: Kane County Youth Can Be Involved in Radon Awareness Too!

VIDEO: Kane County Youth Can Be Involved in Radon Awareness Too!

/ January 13, 2016 / Comments Off on VIDEO: Kane County Youth Can Be Involved in Radon Awareness Too! / Environment, Health, Kane County Health Department, Public Safety, Youth
  • Editor’s Note: This is the second in a series of articles on radon awareness in Kane County.

2015IL radon winnera

Kane County Youth Can Be Involved in Radon Awareness Too!

The American Lung Association in Illinois and Illinois Emergency Management Agency Radon Program along with Ecology Action Center, Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 sponsor annual Radon Poster & Radon Video contests to help increase awareness about radon. Both contests award monetary prizes and start in January, with due dates in March.

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Radon Video Contest Winners 2015

1st Place – The Mortal Follies of Lung Man Radon’t – Oswego East High School – Oswego, IL

How to Enter

Important Dates

  • Contest launch: January 2016
  • Posters due: March 1st, 2016
  • Judging: Mid-March 2016
  • Awards Ceremony/Presentation: TBA

Eligibility Requirements

  • Children ages 9-14
  • Enrolled in public, private, territorial, tribal, DoD, or home school or through a sponsored club like an art, computer, or science club, scouting organization, or 4-H club

Prizes

  • 1st Place: $200
  • 2nd Place: $150
  • 3rd Place: $100

Downloadable Forms

Contact Information

Mail Posters To:

American Lung Association in Illinois
Attn: Cathy Byus
3000 Kelly Lane
Springfield, IL 62711

For Teachers, Parents, and Students:

General Radon Facts

  • Radon is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, and radioactive gas.
  • Radon comes from the decay of the naturally-occurring uranium in the soil.
  • Radon is classified as a Class A Known Human Carcinogen.
  • Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States according to the 2005 U.S. Surgeon General Report. The Surgeon General urges all Americans to get their homes tested for radon.
  • Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers.
  • Lung cancer from radon exposure is preventable.
  • Radon enters homes through cracks and gaps in the foundation, openings around service pipes that enter the home, sump pits, plumbing penetrations, and crawls and floors open to the soil.
  • The home acts as a vacuum on the soil and draws in the soil gas that can contain radon.
  • The only way to know if you’re at risk for radon exposure in the home is to test.
  • Testing is easy and inexpensive. Get a test kit here.
  • The USEPA has set an action level of 4.0 pCi/L for indoor radon exposure. The USEPA recommends that homes with radon levels above the action level be mitigated.
  • Mitigation is relatively inexpensive and can be done by a licensed radon mitigation professional in the state of Illinois.
  • The Illinois Emergency Management Agency estimates that 1,160 Illinois citizens die from radon related lung cancer annually.
  • Radon exposure leads to more deaths each year than falls in the home, drowning, or home fires.
  • Lung cancer due to indoor radon exposure claims approximately 21,000 lives each year.

Radon in Illinois

  • Average indoor radon level in Illinois is 4.4 pCi/L.
  • 40% of the homes in Illinois that are tested by a licensed radon measurement professional had levels greater than the action level of 4.0 pCi/L.
  • The average national indoor radon level is 1.3 pCi/L.
  • The average outdoor radon level is 0.4 pCi/L.
  • Find licensed radon measurement and mitigation professionals HERE.

Other Resources

About the Healthy Places Coalition

The mission of the Kane County Healthy Places Coalition is to engage all interested community members in assessing interest and issues for improving overall community health. The Coalition is formed by participants from diverse aspects of the community, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Kane County Health Department, municipal governments, hospitals, fire departments, community advocacy groups, non-profits, private corporations and many others. For more information, vision the Kane County Healthy Places Coalition web page.

About the Kane County Health Department

In active partnership with our community, the Kane County Health Department improves the quality of life and well-being of all residents by developing and implementing local policies, systems, and services that protect and promote health, and prevent disease, injury and disability. Visit the Health Department’s Facebook Page and sign up for the award-winning “Health Matters” newsletter.

SOURCE: Kane County Health Department

Read the Series

 

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