The Orange County Health Department is offering free radon testing kits to use in your home. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States and the number one leading cause among non-smokers.
Radon is a naturally occurring gas but when high levels enter a house it can become toxic, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. It is a colorless, odorless gas that can seep through cracks in the walls.
The EPA has identified more than 20,000 deaths each year from radon exposure.
The best way to protect you and your family from radon is to test your home. If unsafe levels of radon are identified, there are radon reduction systems that can reduce levels in a home by up to 99 percent, according to the Orange County Health Department.
Radon is present at elevated levels in about seven percent of homes in North Carolina, according to data collected by the Radiation Protection Section in the Division of Health Service Regulation.
This month is National Radon Action Month, so the Health Department is offering free test kits while supplies last. The free kits are available at the Orange County Health Department’s Environmental Health Office located at 131 West Margaret Lane, Suite 100 in Hillsborough.
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