Date Published: 01/15/2020 [Source]
It's an invisible killer that is easy to forget about until it's too late. Radon gas levels are dangerously high in the state of Ohio, and experts say the only way to know if your home is at risk, is to test for it.
Radon is a colorless, odorless gas that naturally occurs in soil and rocks. It can then transfer into the air we breathe and seep through the cracks of our homes. Health officials say radon gas is the number one cause of lung cancer for non-smokers, and 21,000 Americans die each year from radon caused cancer.
Now, state health officials are working to get those numbers down in Ohio. Program supervisor Chris Alexander said they are offering free radon test kits for families who make less than $85,000 a year.
"The only way to know if you have radon in your home is to do a test," Alexander said. "It is the second leading cause of lung cancer right behind smoking."
The Environmental Protection Agency says high or moderate levels of radon have been found in all 88 Ohio counties.
The tests are easy to complete. Just place it in the lowest level of your home that you spend time in and wait. The test will then have to be sent off to the lab it came from to get the results.