Governor Whitmer declares January
2019 Radon Action Month
Governor Gretchen Whitmer has declared January 2019 to be RadonAction Month in Michigan, and she is encouraging all Michigan residents to
learn more about this environmental hazard and test their homes.
You cannot see, smell, or taste radon, and there are no short-term side effects to alert you that it is in your home. Testing your home is easy, inexpensive, and the only way to know if you have a radon problem. Long-term exposure to radon increases the risk of developing lung cancer.
Lung cancer accounts for more deaths in both men and women than any otherform of cancer in the United States. In 2018, the Department of Health
and Human Services predicts there will be an estimated 8,780 new cases of lungcancer and 5,860 deaths from the disease in Michigan. Behind smoking,
radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer.
One in every four Michigan homes are expected to have radon levels exceedingfederal action level of 4 pCi/L. Radon poses a serious threat to our
community’s health, but high radon concentrations are easily fixed.
For help getting a radon test kit, go to www.michigan.gov/radon,call 800-723-6642, e‑mail radon@michigan.gov,
or just stop by your local hardware store. For more information aboutradon testing, mitigation, levels across the state, etc., visit www.michigan.gov/radon. For a
free packet of information about radon, e-mail radon@michigan.gov, or call us at1-800-RADON GAS (1-800-723-6642).
You can also find out information and buy radon test kits at your local health department.
Please visit the JCHD Environmental Health Division Website here or stop in and see our staff at 1715 Lansing Ave - Room 001 on the Ground Floor in the main lobby.
