To spread the message about radon, WGAL TV – a local Lancaster and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania news channel – and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP), Bureau of Radiation Protection, Radon Division organized a phone bank of radon experts to answer viewer call-in questions during a live on-air broadcast.

The day prior to the phone bank, Susan Shapiro, a reporter for WGAL, did a broadcast news story related to radon. She interviewed a Lancaster family with high radon levels who subsequently mitigated the home, and she also interviewed a representative of the PA DEP Radon Division who provided general information of radon in general and some specifics of local occurrences. The purpose of these broadcasts was to showcase real life stories to impact the viewing audience enough for them to take action.

TORONTO, ONTARIO

January is radon action month, for good reason. Despite being the second leading cause of lung cancer, awareness about this natural gas is extremely low. The Ontario Lung Association is urging homeowners and occupants to better educate themselves about the potential health risks radon poses for the whole family, especially for smokers.

What is radon?

Radon is a gas naturally produced by the breakdown of uranium in the ground that can seep into a home often through its foundation. It goes undetected because you can't see it, smell it or taste it. Radon is random; there is no formula for predicting which home will have high levels of radon. The best way to detect radon is to test your home.

Higher risk for smokers:

January is fast approaching and we want to showcase your National Radon Action Month (NRAM) events and activities. Let everyone know by submitting brief descriptions of your 2012 National Radon Action Month (NRAM) events and activities to RadonLeaders.org. Submittals are quick and easy with your choice of the online form or the batch upload feature. All NRAM and related events and activities held during October 2011 through the end of February 2012 are welcome.

Posting your NRAM outreach on RadonLeaders.org allows radon colleagues and the public to see our collective effort. This makes it easier to learn from each others' successes and connect around specific activities and events.

Many NRAM tools and streams of information are available to assist you at RadonLeaders.org. There you can:

This year, Western Kentucky University (WKU) Department of Environment, Health and Safety reached new heights in raising awareness during National Radon Action Month – by garnering media attention to spread the word about the risk of radon. The department’s Radon Grant Coordinator Anita Britt partnered with the Barren River District Health Department, a local radon mitigation professional and the Bowling Green Daily News newspaper to run a personal story about radon, titled “Radon a Silent Danger.” The article – written by Pam Cassady and published on Jan. 17, 2011 – described a personal story of Lisa Murrell, a local nonsmoker who was diagnosed with lung cancer (pictured above).

Each year, the Nevada Radon Education Program tries new radon outreach ideas for National Radon Action Month. Its most successful idea this year was the creation and use of a 40-foot street banner in two different locations during January. The banner was hung over a major highway thoroughfare in Gardnerville (Douglas County) during the first two weeks of January and on the main street in Nevada’s capital – Carson City – during the last week of January.

The street banner, which cost the Program an initial expense of $750, will surely pay off as the Program hopes to use the banner for years to come. The 3-foot by 40-foot vinyl banner was created with specifications determined by the two cities' governing entities.

GLADWIN COUNTY -- Radon Awareness Month came to an end as we moved into February, but it ended on a high note as plenty of food items came in from the public.

During the month of January, Central Michigan District Health Department offered radon test kits to the public for $5 each or free with a non-perishable food donation. Soups, vegetables, evaporated milk, baby foods, beans, pasta, and macaroni and cheese seemed to be the most popular donations this year.

To view this article, visit http://www.gladwinmi.com/articles/2011/03/08/business/doc4d7690666c9a8779153122.txt.

The World Health Organization and Environmental Protection Agency have announced a call to action for Americans to test their homes for Radon Gas, which has recently been identified as the leading cause of lung cancer for non-smokers in the U.S.

The EPA has officially designated January 2011 to be National Radon Action Month in the United States. The press, local health departments, and the media are encouraged to help save lives in 2011 by promoting National Radon Action Month.

Radon is a naturally-occurring, radioactive gas that seeps out of the ground and can enter homes and other buildings. Since Radon is invisible and odorless, the only way to know if a home has dangerous levels of the gas is to conduct a Radon test. Radon problems have been found in every county of the U.S. so the Surgeon General is recommending that all homes are tested.

Radon leaders, get ready! January is National Radon Action Month – and now is the time to participate. Join members of the radon community from across the country and prepare your activities to raise awareness about the health effect of radon exposure. By planning your outreach activities to promote radon testing, mitigation and radon-resistant new construction, you are adding to the Radon Leaders Saving Lives Campaign to increase the number of lives saved from radon-induced lung cancer.

Participate this year by:

• Submitting your activity on RadonLeaders.org. Fill out the easy, step-by-step activity submittal form online to add your NRAM activities. Follow the guidelines to ensure your activities will be accurately included in the NRAM results report.