Date Published: 12/23/2019 [Source]
OTTAWA — La Salle County Health Department has free radon test kits available to La Salle County residents. The kits are possible through a grant from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.
Test kits can be picked up during regular business hours, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Mondays-Fridays at 717 E. Etna Road, Ottawa.
"Radon is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, radioactive gas produced during the natural decay of uranium (an element that occurs in small amounts in rock and soil)," according to Illinois Department of Public Health. "As it decays, radon releases radioactive particles and energy into the air. Radon that decays while in the lungs can cause cell damage and potentially lead to lung cancer. Therefore, elevated levels of radon in a building or home can negatively affect the occupant's health."
"Radon is found naturally in the soil and rock composing the earth's crust. In Illinois, central and northern regions have been shown to have higher levels of radon in soil. Radon gas migrates through the ground before entering the atmosphere where it mixes with outside air or becomes concentrated inside buildings," the IDPH says.