Saturday, November 7, 2009
2011 Illinois Radon Poster Contest Announced
Here is a great opportunity. The SIL Radon Awareness Task Force urges all schools, 4-H clubs and other groups to participate in the poster contest. If you need additional information, please contact the task force at info@silradon.org.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Gloria Linnertz National Lung Cancer Awareness Month Plea
We think we know about radon and lung cancer, but do we?
Why was I so confident in my ignorance is the question I ask myself very often. In the months prior to my husband’s diagnosis of lung cancer, he mentioned to me that perhaps we should check our home for radon gas. Of course, I didn’t know anything about radon gas, but thought I did. I said that our home was relatively new—only twenty years old—and we had a tight basement. I was confident in my ignorance! Because radon cannot be detected through our senses, the only way to know if this silent killer is intruding into your home is to test. Recognizing what we can’t see, taste or smell is the problem.
In the year before his diagnosis, my husband Joe also said to me that he might have cancer. My husband had previously had two triple artery bypasses twenty years apart. Again, I said, you don’t have cancer; you have heart disease. I thought he was just worrying too much. I thought I knew but I didn’t. My husband Joe was a person to take preventive and safe measures. For 27 years he worked and exercised every day, kept a low fat, low cholesterol diet, and didn’t smoke. We had smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, and fire extinguishers in our home; and we didn’t burn candles. Joe only lived six weeks after his diagnosis of lung cancer that had spread to his liver and bones. We had been living with a radon level of 17.6 picocuries per liter of air in our home for 18 years.
Knowing the word radon and that it is a gas does not constitute knowledge of the element and its danger. You’ve heard the saying “A little knowledge can be dangerous.” I would change that to “A little knowledge can be deadly.” We, the general public, don’t know the facts. We must replace our limited knowledge with a full base of all the facts on radon.
Dr. Bill Field, an American Academic Scholar and Professor in the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health and Department of Epidemiology within the College of Public Health at the University of Iowa, who has recently been appointed to the Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health by President Obama, stated that protracted radon progeny exposure is the seventh leading cause of cancer mortality in the United States and the leading environmental cause of cancer mortality. It is the leading cause of lung cancer deaths among non-smokers. Large and recent studies confirm that radon in homes increases lung cancer risks. Throughout our world up to 18% of the lung cancers can be attributed to indoor radon according to Professor Bill Angell, Chair of the Prevention and Mitigation Working Group of the World Health Organization’s International Radon Project. . Radioactive particles from radon gas are inhaled and attach to the air sacs in the lungs. These particles change the characteristic of the cells to cancer, and those mutated cells divide and multiply.
Radon is a radioactive gas that emanates from rocks and soils and tends to concentrate in enclosed spaces like houses. Soil gas infiltration is the most important source of residential radon and is present in every home (except ones on stilts) because of the way our homes are built and designed.
The analysis from recent studies in Europe, North America, and Asia indicates that lung cancer risk increases proportionally with increasing radon exposure according to the World Health Organization (WHO). There is no known threshold concentration below which radon is safe. On September 21, 2009 WHO, in view of the latest scientific data, released a reference level of 2.7 picocuries per liter of air (pCi/L) as a minimum level to minimize health hazards due to indoor radon exposure.
Radon is easy to measure. Every home needs to be tested for radon because each home has its own individual footprint on the earth. The homeowner cannot rely on the results of surrounding houses in the neighborhood. A short term (3-7 days) and/or long term (3-12 months) test kit can be used. Radon professionals can also perform the test with electronic devices. Test kits can be obtained from the radon hotline at (785) 532-6026 or email at Radon@ksu.edu. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or Web site: www.sosradon.org. Radon test kits can also be purchased at the local hardware stores.
It is easy to protect from radon gas. Addressing radon is important in new construction as well as existing buildings. Radon prevention strategies focus on sealing radon entry routes and using soil depressurization techniques to prevent the gas from entering the home. The cost is very reasonable. “How little it can cost to save a life!” is what I would say to someone who complained about the expense of a radon mitigation system installed by a licensed radon professional.
I write this in memory of my husband Joe --who was so very dear to me—my friend, my partner, my companion, my love. I ask you to test your home for radon during this month of November—National Lung Cancer Awareness Month. If your level is above 2.7, spend that little extra money to help save a life. That life may be someone you love.
Why was I so confident in my ignorance is the question I ask myself very often. In the months prior to my husband’s diagnosis of lung cancer, he mentioned to me that perhaps we should check our home for radon gas. Of course, I didn’t know anything about radon gas, but thought I did. I said that our home was relatively new—only twenty years old—and we had a tight basement. I was confident in my ignorance! Because radon cannot be detected through our senses, the only way to know if this silent killer is intruding into your home is to test. Recognizing what we can’t see, taste or smell is the problem.
In the year before his diagnosis, my husband Joe also said to me that he might have cancer. My husband had previously had two triple artery bypasses twenty years apart. Again, I said, you don’t have cancer; you have heart disease. I thought he was just worrying too much. I thought I knew but I didn’t. My husband Joe was a person to take preventive and safe measures. For 27 years he worked and exercised every day, kept a low fat, low cholesterol diet, and didn’t smoke. We had smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, and fire extinguishers in our home; and we didn’t burn candles. Joe only lived six weeks after his diagnosis of lung cancer that had spread to his liver and bones. We had been living with a radon level of 17.6 picocuries per liter of air in our home for 18 years.
Knowing the word radon and that it is a gas does not constitute knowledge of the element and its danger. You’ve heard the saying “A little knowledge can be dangerous.” I would change that to “A little knowledge can be deadly.” We, the general public, don’t know the facts. We must replace our limited knowledge with a full base of all the facts on radon.
Dr. Bill Field, an American Academic Scholar and Professor in the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health and Department of Epidemiology within the College of Public Health at the University of Iowa, who has recently been appointed to the Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health by President Obama, stated that protracted radon progeny exposure is the seventh leading cause of cancer mortality in the United States and the leading environmental cause of cancer mortality. It is the leading cause of lung cancer deaths among non-smokers. Large and recent studies confirm that radon in homes increases lung cancer risks. Throughout our world up to 18% of the lung cancers can be attributed to indoor radon according to Professor Bill Angell, Chair of the Prevention and Mitigation Working Group of the World Health Organization’s International Radon Project. . Radioactive particles from radon gas are inhaled and attach to the air sacs in the lungs. These particles change the characteristic of the cells to cancer, and those mutated cells divide and multiply.
Radon is a radioactive gas that emanates from rocks and soils and tends to concentrate in enclosed spaces like houses. Soil gas infiltration is the most important source of residential radon and is present in every home (except ones on stilts) because of the way our homes are built and designed.
The analysis from recent studies in Europe, North America, and Asia indicates that lung cancer risk increases proportionally with increasing radon exposure according to the World Health Organization (WHO). There is no known threshold concentration below which radon is safe. On September 21, 2009 WHO, in view of the latest scientific data, released a reference level of 2.7 picocuries per liter of air (pCi/L) as a minimum level to minimize health hazards due to indoor radon exposure.
Radon is easy to measure. Every home needs to be tested for radon because each home has its own individual footprint on the earth. The homeowner cannot rely on the results of surrounding houses in the neighborhood. A short term (3-7 days) and/or long term (3-12 months) test kit can be used. Radon professionals can also perform the test with electronic devices. Test kits can be obtained from the radon hotline at (785) 532-6026 or email at Radon@ksu.edu. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or Web site: www.sosradon.org. Radon test kits can also be purchased at the local hardware stores.
It is easy to protect from radon gas. Addressing radon is important in new construction as well as existing buildings. Radon prevention strategies focus on sealing radon entry routes and using soil depressurization techniques to prevent the gas from entering the home. The cost is very reasonable. “How little it can cost to save a life!” is what I would say to someone who complained about the expense of a radon mitigation system installed by a licensed radon professional.
I write this in memory of my husband Joe --who was so very dear to me—my friend, my partner, my companion, my love. I ask you to test your home for radon during this month of November—National Lung Cancer Awareness Month. If your level is above 2.7, spend that little extra money to help save a life. That life may be someone you love.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Lung Cancer Awareness Month Flyer
This Lung Cancer Awarness Month flyer is available for download on the Hope Light Foundation website www.hopelightproject.com
Please download a copy and place in areas where the public will be able to see it.
Please download a copy and place in areas where the public will be able to see it.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month
The Mayor of Metropolis, Illinois has issued the following proclamation relative to Novemeber being Lung Cancer Awareness Month.
Click on image for a larger view.
Click on image for a larger view.
November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month
The Mayor of the City of Cairo, Illinois has issued the following proclamation relative to November being Lung Cancer Awareness Month.
Click on the proclamation for a larger view.
Click on the proclamation for a larger view.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Radon Awareness Initiative Mitigation Installations
The last of the free mitigation systems was installed on October 26, 2009. The ten systems were installed in DuQuoin, Mt. Vernon, Radom, Carterville, Colp, Centralia, Marion, Coulterville, with two systems in Nashville.
The distribution of the systems indicates that elevaled radon levels can be found all over Southern Illinois.
The initiative was very successful in raising awareness of the dangers of living with elevated radon levels. For those that requested a test kit but have not returned it to the lab, please do so. Being odorless, colorless, and tasteless, the only way to know if your house has elevated radon levels is to conduct a radon test.
If you did not request a test kit as part of the Southern Illinois Radon Awareness Initiative, please do so. Test kits can be ordered on line at www.lungil.org or at www.il.radon.com.
To those that had systems installed in their homes, thank you for participating in the program.
The distribution of the systems indicates that elevaled radon levels can be found all over Southern Illinois.
The initiative was very successful in raising awareness of the dangers of living with elevated radon levels. For those that requested a test kit but have not returned it to the lab, please do so. Being odorless, colorless, and tasteless, the only way to know if your house has elevated radon levels is to conduct a radon test.
If you did not request a test kit as part of the Southern Illinois Radon Awareness Initiative, please do so. Test kits can be ordered on line at www.lungil.org or at www.il.radon.com.
To those that had systems installed in their homes, thank you for participating in the program.
Monday, October 19, 2009
National Radon Awareness Week
OCTOBER 18-24 IS NATIONAL RADON AWARENESS WEEK
To alert the public about the dangers of living with elevated radon levels, October 18 through 24, 2009 has been declared as National Radon Awareness Week. Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers, taking an estimated 22,000 lives in the United States annually.
Radon is an odorless, colorless, tasteless, radioactive gas that is a by-product of the uranium decay process. As the naturally occurring uranium in the soil breaks down, radon is formed and can accumulate in houses in sufficient quantities to lead to lung cancer. Being odorless, colorless, and tasteless, the only to know the radon level in a structure is to conduct a radon test. Radon test kits are available on-line and at home repair centers.
According to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, more than 100,000 home radon tests have been conducted by professional contractors and homeowners between 2003 and 2008. Those results showed that nearly 40 percent of Illinois homes tested have radon levels above the USEPA-recommended 4 picocuries per liter of air (pCi/L).
Calvin Murphy with the Southern Illinois Radon Awareness Task Force says that everyone living in Southern Illinois that has not tested their home for radon should do so. When someone tests their home and takes corrective action to reduce elevated radon levels, the risk of contracting radon induced lung cancer is reduced for everyone living in the house. Elevated radon levels in houses can be easily reduced.
For more information about radon, please visit the Southern Illinois Radon Awareness Task Force website www.silradon.org
To alert the public about the dangers of living with elevated radon levels, October 18 through 24, 2009 has been declared as National Radon Awareness Week. Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers, taking an estimated 22,000 lives in the United States annually.
Radon is an odorless, colorless, tasteless, radioactive gas that is a by-product of the uranium decay process. As the naturally occurring uranium in the soil breaks down, radon is formed and can accumulate in houses in sufficient quantities to lead to lung cancer. Being odorless, colorless, and tasteless, the only to know the radon level in a structure is to conduct a radon test. Radon test kits are available on-line and at home repair centers.
According to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, more than 100,000 home radon tests have been conducted by professional contractors and homeowners between 2003 and 2008. Those results showed that nearly 40 percent of Illinois homes tested have radon levels above the USEPA-recommended 4 picocuries per liter of air (pCi/L).
Calvin Murphy with the Southern Illinois Radon Awareness Task Force says that everyone living in Southern Illinois that has not tested their home for radon should do so. When someone tests their home and takes corrective action to reduce elevated radon levels, the risk of contracting radon induced lung cancer is reduced for everyone living in the house. Elevated radon levels in houses can be easily reduced.
For more information about radon, please visit the Southern Illinois Radon Awareness Task Force website www.silradon.org
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