She knew better and did nothing.

For Lois Turner Dees, that's the most frustrating part of knowing that radon in her home contributed to her diagnosis of lung cancer.

She knew radon was a dangerous, known cause of lung cancer and prevalent in Central Kentucky, but she never had her home tested.

"It just wasn't a high priority," said Dees. "We knew you could have radon tests; we just didn't get it done."

When she says "we" she means herself and her late husband, Larry Turner, who bought the house in 2000. She still lives there.

Some remember Dees, who remarried shortly after her cancer diagnosis in 2011, as one of the public faces of grief after the crash of Comair flight 5191 in August 2006, in which her husband and 48 others were killed. Turner's was the first public funeral, drawing 1,200 people from among the many who knew him from his job as head of the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Office.

An estimated one in three Minnesota homes harbors high levels of radon. However, testing for the radioactive gas before buying or selling a home can lead to reduced health risks, according to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH).

Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, with more than 21,000 deaths attributable to radon each year. It is the greatest environmental cancer risk and the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. Yet radon exposure is largely preventable.

MDH estimates that one in three Minnesota homes have radon levels that pose a considerable health risk of lung cancer over many years of exposure. Homes with high radon levels are fixable, but first they must be tested. MDH is highlighting radon testing during National Public Health Week, April 1 through 7.

Testing for radon during the sale of a home is an opportune time:

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has taken significant steps towards eliminating radon exposure in renter-occupied homes by issuing two new policies that will incorporate radon testing and mitigation into HUD programs to help prevent some of the estimated 21,000 lung cancer deaths radon causes in the United States every year.

HUD’s Office of Multifamily Housing new policy requires radon testing and, if applicable, mitigation for most new FHA-insured construction, conversion and substantial rehabilitation projects, as well as most FHA-insured refinance transactions. Radon testing and mitigation is not required for refinance projects located in low risk areas, or if a certified Radon Professional determines that radon risk is sufficiently low for the project.