Date Published: 01/31/2020 [Source]
The Oregon Health Authority is encouraging homeowners to test their homes for a deadly gas.
Radon is an odorless, tasteless, and invisible radioactive gas that is often released from the rock and soil under a house. The CDC says the gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer for non-smokers with more than 20,000 deaths per year.
The Oregon Radon Awareness Program is urging homeowners to test their homes. According to the health authority, Medford, Ashland, Coos Bay and Brookings all tested for moderate to high risk levels for the gas.
"All these mini factors come together to, you know, give more or less of a radon risk in your home and you don't know what the level of radon is in your home unless you test," Curtis Cude, Oregon Radon Program Manager, said.
The radon program is offering free testing kits to people living in certain zip codes, including Shady Cove, Gold Hill, White City, Jacksonville and Central Point.