Date Published: 12/04/2019 [Source]
Students in Sequoyah High School science classes taught by teachers Becca Brant and Rhonda Doyle participated in a radon poster contest. Before the contest, Cherokee Nation Environmental Program staff gave a presentation on radon and its health effects and also distributed information for the students to take home. Posters and supplies were given to the students and they were given two weeks to complete the posters.
A total of 33 students completed the poster contest and submitted their entries for review by CNEP staff. First, second and third place winners were selected and received plaques and a personalized gift. West said CNEP staff were excited to judge the posters and were amazed at the creativity of the students' work.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Surgeon General's Office estimates that as many as 20,000 lung cancer deaths are caused each year by radon. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer. Radon-induced lung cancer costs the United States over $2 billion dollars per year in both direct and indirect health care costs.
Radon is the number one cause of lung cancer in non-smokers. For children, radon and second-hand smoke are the biggest risks for developing lung cancer later in life. Unless a test is done with a radon test kit, you can't tell whether your home has radon because radon is a gas that has no smell, no color and can't be seen.