SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois officials are encouraging residents to test their homes for radon gas this week during Radon Action Week.

The Emergency Management Agency says 1,200 people die in Illinois each year from radon-related lung cancer.

IEMA interim Director Joe Klinger says studies show nearly 40 percent of Illinois homes have radon levels above safe levels.

Radon is a colorless, odorless, tasteless radioactive gas that comes from the radioactive decay of naturally occurring uranium in the soil. It can seep into buildings through foundation cracks, sump pumps or crawlspaces.

Home improvement stores carry simple kits that homeowners can use to test for radon gas. Also, IEMA licenses more than 250 contractors in the state who measure radon and 90 that help get rid of it.

Online: www.radon.illinois.gov.

To view this article, visit http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-il-radontesting,0,2936635.story.

When it comes to carcinogens that industrial plants dump into the water, the government generally takes a hard line on levels of public exposure.

But public health officials accept far greater risk with the naturally occurring radioactive substance radon, which enters homes from the ground and underground aquifers through basements and water pipes.

The radioactive gas, the dangers of which have been known for decades, is so prevalent in nature that getting to the standard risk level would be nearly impossible.

New Jersey and Pennsylvania are among a number of states plentiful in radon. For more than a decade, state and federal governments have held off in regulating how much of the gas should be allowed in drinking water. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection is analyzing data as it considers its next step.

Drooling Stars Have a Serious Message About RadonThe toughest thing about filming a recent video about radon — for Douglas County Health Department officials, at least — was dealing with the ad's high-maintenance stars. Many wouldn't sit still. Others drooled on the set. Don't blame the actors, though. They were, after all, dogs.

Nine Midlands pooches made their screen debuts in the public service announcement, which officials submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as part of an EPA online video contest to promote radon awareness.

The one-minute Douglas County video, called "Subterranean Radon Blues," is a take on the music and lyrics of the Bob Dylan classic "Subterranean Homesick Blues." In it, the dogs — not Dylan — flip through cue cards with the help of puppet puppy paws.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) -- A bill that would regulate the trade of testing homes and businesses for radon has cleared the Kentucky House by a wide margin.

The measure would require radon testers to be licensed, take part in continuing education and be bonded. The proposal passed the House on an 85-12 vote Tuesday, and it now heads to the Senate.

Democratic Rep. Steve Riggs of Louisville said in a release that his bill comes after "horror stories" from victims of shoddy work who basically got nothing for their money.

Radon is a colorless, odorless, naturally occurring gas.

Riggs cited federal statistics indicating that radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. and is responsible for 21,000 deaths nationwide each year.

The legislation is House Bill 247.

To view this article, visit http://www.fox41.com/story/14037288/house-oks-bill-to-regulate-radon-testers.

National Radon Awareness week begins Oct. 17, and although Belknap County ranks lower for risk for the potentially deadly gas than others in the state, experts recommend that everyone has their home checked.

"Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that is formed from the decay of radium, which is formed from uranium," said Owen David, radon program specialist with the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. "It erupts in soil in New Hampshire and trace amounts of uranium that breaks down into radon."

He said that when erupting from the soil, a house can act as a sort of "vacuum," sucking the radon into the home and exposure to radon over time can have serious health risks, including lung cancer.

"There can be a ten to twenty year latency period," said David. "And unless you already have cancer, that's when symptoms show up."

Breathing the odorless, radioactive gas second-leading cause of lung cancer

Three workers arrived Saturday morning at a home on Landon Drive, just south of Hillside Road in the southwest part of Amarillo.

They unloaded their tools, pulled back the carpet in a basement closet and used a jackhammer to bust a hole in the concrete floor to reach the gas trapped underneath.

The gas - radon - is of concern to the workers. It's prevalent in the Panhandle, and can be harmful.

That's why more efforts are under way to make the public aware of radon, and it's why this week has been designated National Radon Awareness Week.

The workers on Landon Drive, who are with Radon Technology, were beginning the installation of a radon gas mitigation project.

Driving across the border from Somerset into Devon you pass a sign by the side of the road. "Warning: You are now entering a radioactive area," it says. How would you feel? Would you continue your journey – or would you turn round and head for home?

magine if similar signs popped up on the outskirts of Banbury and Northampton, in the Yorkshire Dales, and in parts of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Would you be inclined to buy a house in those places? Would you go on holiday there?

Some of Britain's best-loved beauty spots turn out to have the highest concentrations of what has been termed the country's worst environmental pollutant. It is an invisible, odourless gas that seeps out of the ground and causes an estimated 1,100 deaths from lung cancer every year. It is called radon and last month the number of homes designated at risk was increased five-fold (from 100,000 to between 500,000 and 600,000), rendering millions more people officially vulnerable.

AARST is pleased to announce that James Burkhart, Ph.D., Editor of the International Radon Symposium Proceedings, has announced that the abstracts detailing upcoming presentations at the 2008 International Radon Symposium (September 14-17, 2008, Las Vegas), are now available for review and download.

Papers that have been accepted by the editorial committee for publication in the 2008 Proceedings will be available after the Symposium (September 18, 2008) for review and download on the AARST website. There will be no charge for this service. CD versions of the publication will also be made available in late October of this year.

DEL NORTE— Rio Grande County Commissioners heard from Pat Perry, Director of Rio Grande’s Public Health Agency, during their Sept. 15 meeting concerning losses of flu and MMR vaccine supplies.

Due to a power outage in the office, the agency lost 40 doses of the MMR vaccine and 30 doses of flu-mist nasal spray. “The loss represented about $1,815. We’ve already discarded the affected vaccines and will be replacing them.” Perry said.

Public Health stores between $15,000-$30,000 worth of vaccines in agency refrigerators at any given time. With an outage so potentially costly, Perry remarked, the agency would need to take “corrective action.”

Pratt, Kan. — One in every four homes in Kansas may have elevated radon levels. The United States Surgeon General considers indoor radon gas to be a national health problem and recommends that every home be tested. The week of Oct. 17-24 has been designated as Radon Awareness Week.

Radon, the second leading cause of lung cancer and the leading cause for non-smokers, is a naturally occurring radioactive element found in the soil. It is odorless and colorless but can seep through gaps and cracks in a home’s foundation. It contributes to about 21,000 deaths per year from lung cancer.

In the last year, Kansas State University Research and Extension has become home to the National Radon Program Services for the Environmental Protection Agency. The university operates a center for information, sponsors a poster contest for 9- to 14-year-olds and services in advisory capacity on legislation pertaining to radon.