The Wyoming Department of Health is encouraging Wyoming residents to test home radon levels and is offering free test kits in January to mark National Radon Action Month. 

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that is odorless, colorless and tasteless. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. EPA estimates that radon is responsible for approximately 10 percent of all lung cancer cases in the United States.

“Any home in Wyoming may have elevated levels of radon even if other homes in the same neighborhood do not,” said Steve Melia, radon program manager with the Wyoming Department of Health. “Testing is the only way to really know, and it’s simple and inexpensive.”

A special Radon Action Month coupon offering free short-term radon test kits in January is available on the Wyoming Department of Health’s website at http://wdh.state.wy.us/PHSD/radon/index.html. To receive a free test kit, Wyoming residents are asked to print the coupon, fill in the necessary information and mail the coupon to the indicated address. Free kits can also be obtained from the Department of Health by calling 307-777-6015.

Tests kits are also sometimes available at a small cost from some local public health offices, local building supply stores and other private sellers.

Radon comes from the natural decay of uranium, which is found in the soil throughout Wyoming, the United States and around the world. The gas enters buildings from the soil through cracks and other openings in foundations.

Melia said approximately one-third of all homes in Wyoming have radon levels above EPA’s action level of 4.0 pCi/L (picocuries per liter). “Any home or building with a radon level at or above this level can and should be fixed,” he explained. The Wyoming Department of Health recommends the use of contractors certified to mitigate or correct the problem.

More information about radon dangers, testing and corrective strategies is available online at http://wdh.state.wy.us/PHSD/radon/index.html or by calling 307-777-6015.