Amador County - The Amador County Department of Environmental Health announced Wednesday it is offering residents a limited number of free radon test kits during the month of January 2010, which is also National Radon Action Month. Fifty free test kits to test homes or buildings for radon will be available on a first come, first served basis. The Health Department is working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which is conducting a nationwide campaign to educate Americans about the dangers of radon exposure and to encourage them to take action to protect their homes and families. Because of the wide spread occurrence of granite in Amador County there is a higher probability of having elevated radon levels compared to other locations. Radon is a naturally occurring, invisible, odorless, tasteless gas that is dispersed in outdoor air but can reach harmful levels when trapped in buildings. Scientists have long been concerned about the health risk of radon, but there is now overwhelming proof that exposure to elevated levels of radon causes lung cancer in humans. EPA estimates that radon is responsible for more than 20,000 lung cancer deaths per year. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. after smoking and the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. “Because you can’t see or smell radon, people tend to downplay the health effects and ignore the possibility that there might be a silent killer in their homes,” said Amador County Public Health Officer Dr. Bob Hartmann. Testing homes for elevated levels of radon is simple and inexpensive. Radon problems can be fixed by qualified contractors for a cost similar to that of many common home repairs such as painting and roof repair. In addition to the free test kits available through the Amador County Environmental Health Department, during January radon test kits can be purchased through the California Department of Public Health Indoor Radon Program for $5.00. To obtain a free radon test kit, contact Amador County Environmental Health Department at (209) 223-6439. For more information on radon, ordering the $5.00 test kit, mitigation, and radon-resistant new construction, call the California Department of Public Health Indoor Radon Program at 916-449-5674 or visit EPA’s National Radon Action Month Web site at www.epa.gov/radon/nram. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.