SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - State officials have launched a video contest encouraging high school students to talk about the hazards of radon.

The Illinois Emergency Management Agency launched the "2010 Illinois High School Radon Video Contest" this week.

To enter, students must submit one-minute YouTube videos about the radioactive gas that contributes to more than 1,000 lung cancer deaths in Illinois each year.

IEMA director Andrew Valasquez says the contest is a creative way for reaching more people with that message.

The winner's school will get a $2,000 prize to be used for extracurricular activities and the winning student will get $1,000. January is Radon Action Month.

Original Post

IEMA, ALA-IL Launch Teen Video Contest during Radon Action Month
High school students encouraged to create YouTube video promoting awareness of radon health hazards

SPRINGFIELD – Seeking an innovative way to spread the message about radon’s health hazards, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and the American Lung Association in Illinois (ALA-IL) today launched the “2010 Illinois High School Radon Video Contest.” The agencies are encouraging high school students throughout the state to create 60-second YouTube videos about radon, a radioactive gas that causes an estimated 1,100 lung cancer deaths in Illinois each year.

The video contest highlights activities in Illinois during Radon Action Month in January. Other organizations supporting the video contest include the University of Illinois Extension Office, Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Region 5.