PA DEP News Release : DEP Reminds Pennsylvanians that January is Radon Action Month

COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA
Dept. of Environmental Protection
Commonwealth News Bureau
Room 308, Main Capitol Building
Harrisburg PA., 17120

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
01/5/2015

CONTACT:
Amanda Witman, DEP

DEP Reminds Pennsylvanians that January is Radon Action Month

January is National Radon Action Month, marking a time of increased public awareness for this serious health hazard.

Radon is a colorless, odorless, radioactive gas that occurs naturally through the breakdown of uranium in soil and rocks. It can seep into homes through cracks in basements and foundations, and can build up inside to concentrations many times the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recommended level of 4 picocuries per liter (pCi/L).

Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, causing about 20,000 lung-cancer deaths in the United States every year. About 40 percent of Pennsylvania homes have radon levels above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s action level of four picocuries per liter. While radon problems may be more common in some regions, the potential exists for any home in Pennsylvania to have high radon levels.

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