Date Published: 01/05/2007 [Source]
The California Department of Health is offering Santa Cruz County residents free radon screening to measure indoor levels of the cancer-causing gas in their homes. Health officials say the region's geology may put the county at higher risk of radon than elsewhere, though it shouldn't be at levels that are cause for alarm.
Radon is an odorless radioactive gas that is released during the decay of radium, a naturally occurring element found in soil, rocks and water. Santa Cruz County sits on sedimentary deposits, known as the Monterey Formation, which some geologists say causes higher rates of radon emissions.