UGA experts available to comment on Radon Action Month
Test kits available
December 19, 2011
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- Mickey Y. Montevideo
Mickey Montevideo
Public Relations Coordinator
Office of Public Affairs
Hodgson Oil Building
286 Oconee Street
Athens, GAEmail: mickeym@uga.edu
Athens, Ga. - University of Georgia experts are available to provide commentary during Radon Action Month, which is designated by the Environmental Protection Agency in January.
Radon is the first leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers and the second leading cause of lung cancer overall in the U.S. Radon is responsible for 21,000 lung cancer deaths in the U.S. each year, 800 of them in Georgia. Radon is a gas released by the natural decay of uranium in soils and rocks that easily enters through foundations and well water, which is why the greatest radon exposure occurs in homes. Radon problems can be fixed, and new homes can be built with radon-resistant construction techniques.
Testing is the only way radon can be detected since it cannot be seen, smelled or tasted. Test kits are $5 at local UGA County Extension Offices or $6.50 if ordered via the mail at www.UGAradon.com. The radon test kit is hung in the lowest livable area of the home, such as a basement or a first floor. The best place to hang the kit is in a bedroom or living room near the center of the room and at a level between two to six feet above the floor-at the shortest person's breathing level. The kit hangs for three to seven days, absorbing the radon in the air. The kit is mailed to a laboratory where it is analyzed, and the results then are sent to the homeowner. Any result of 4.0 pCi/L or above is considered high by the EPA and should be fixed. The EPA reports that nationally one out of every 15 homes tested for radon will be high. In North Georgia, approximately two out of every 15 homes tested will be elevated.
Contact information for UGA radon experts is listed below. For more information, contact UGA News Service at 706/542-8083 or news@uga.edu.
Becky Chenhall, Program Specialist
Radon Education Program
Cooperative Extension Service
College of Family & Consumer Sciences
770/267-1324
chenhall@uga.edu
With more than nine years experience in radon education, Chenhall works in the Barrow County Cooperative Extension Service office. She has participated in the National Environmental Health Association's National Radon Proficiency Program, in which she completed training and certification for both radon mitigation and radon measurement.
Pamela R. Turner, Director
UGA Radon Program
Associate Professor and Extension Housing Specialist
Department of Housing and Consumer Economics
College of Family and Consumer Sciences
706/542-9165
prturner@uga.edu
http://fcs.uga.edu/ext/housing/radon/
As the director of UGA's radon program, Turner's research has been centered on radon, lead poisoning and natural remedies, and green and healthy housing. She provides a variety of outreach services in the areas of green cleaning, reducing indoor contaminants, housing education, weatherization, energy and water conservation, reducing radon, and rethinking waste.
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