Free radon testing kits are available
By From staff reports
Published in News on January 10, 2016 1:45 AM
As the turning of the seasons brings colder weather to North Carolina, and families close windows to keep warm, it is an excellent time to make plans for radon testing in your home.
Radon is the odorless, colorless gas that is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States.
The effects upon the families it touches can be just as devastating as lung cancer caused by smoking tobacco.
Each year upwards to 22,000 people die from radon-induced lung cancer. Roughly 54 percent of those diagnosed with early-stage lung cancer are expected to live no more than five years after diagnosis.
The Wayne County Health Department is partnering with the NC Radon program to provide free short-term radon test kits in recognition of National Radon Action Month.
A limited supply of radon test kits is being made available locally on Wednesday, Jan. 13, between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. at 134 N. John St. in Goldsboro.
Approximately 15,000 kits are being distributed statewide. Only one kit per home is needed to determine if your home has a high level.
The North Carolina Radon Program website, www.ncradon.org, will have a list of all 110 participating organizations across the state.
The program website will also have a limited supply of kits available. Once the supply of free kits have been exhausted, the short-term radon test kits, which retail for $15, will be available at a reduced cost of $6.