MDOH offers free radon test kits

HATTIESBURG, Miss - This is a press release from the Mississippi Depatment of Health.

The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) Radon Program is offering free radon test kits while supplies last during January, Radon Action Month.

Radon is an odorless, colorless gas and is the second leading cause of lung cancer nationwide. More than 20,000 Americans die of radon-related lung cancer each year, and radon causes up to 15 percent of lung cancers worldwide.

Radon is a radioactive gas found in nature. Its source is natural uranium in the earth. Being a gas, radon moves upward out of the soil and into the air, where it can enter and accumulate in homes. Uranium is found in most soils and in granite.

Excessive radon levels have been found in all of the 50 states. In Mississippi, fewer than three percent of homes have radon levels in excess of the EPA recommended action level of 4 picoCuries (measurement of radioactivity) of radon per liter of air. However, because of the geology of the area, higher levels of radon are typically measured in northeastern Mississippi counties.

To test your home for radon, call the MSDH Radon Hotline at 1-800-626-7739 for a free test kit while supplies last. A test kit will be sent directly to you with testing instructions.

The MSDH does not service homes for high radon levels or perform radon testing but can assist homeowners in locating approved contractors for resolving any radon problems found.

For more information on radon exposure, visit the MSDH website at www.HealthyMS.com/radon or call the MSDH Radon Program at 1-800-626-7739.