January is National Radon Action Month Test Your Home for Radon

This Winter!
This January, the Kane County Healthy Places Coalition (HPC) is promoting Radon Awareness
through coordinated efforts. Partners include the Kane County Safety Coalition, the Kane County
Radon Speakers Bureau, and 12 home improvement stores. Radon is among the Healthy Homes
Campaign focus areas this year as we educate county residents about the ways they can prevent
harmful environmental exposures right in their own homes.

Kane County Youth Can Be Involved in Radon Awareness Too!

The American Lung Association in Illinois (ALAIL) and Illinois Emergency Management Agency
Radon Program (IEMA) along with Ecology Action Center, Respiratory Health Association of
Metropolitan Chicago, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 sponsor annual
Radon Poster & Radon Video contests to help increase awareness about radon. Both contests
award monetary prizes and start in January, with due dates in March.

Radon Poster Contest: Ages 9-14 years

Radon Video Contest: High-school

old
Information about eligibility & requirements:
http://www.healthhouse.org/radon/il_poster.cf
m

students Information about eligibility &

requirements:
http://www.healthhouse.org/radon/il_vidconte
st.cfm

Radon Facts & Tips:

Radon is a colorless, tasteless, odorless

radioactive gas.
Radon is the leading cause of lung
cancer next to smoking.
A high Radon level requiring action is
>4.0 and the average level for Kane
County is 5.2.
For all houses tested, 2 out of 5 homes
had results greater than 4.
Test your homes with a Radon Test Kit
every 2 years.
If Radon levels are high, contact a
licensed professional to fix the problem.

Resources at:
www.illinois.gov/iema/NRS/Radon
http://kanehealth.com/healthy_places.htm

Kane County homes are at risk for higher

levels of radon because of the quality of
Illinois soil. Radon is a colorless, odorless,
radioactive gas that occurs naturally during
the breakdown of uranium. Radon cannot be
seen or smelled, and testing is the only way
to know the levels of exposure in your home.

Radon gas will enter a home or building

through small cracks in the foundation and
can expose people to the radiation. In the
winter, when homes are shut-up tight to stay
warm, there is potential for higher levels of
lingering radon.

The following is a list of retail stores participating in Radon Awareness:

Home Depot, 1250 N. Orchard Road, Aurora

Home Depot, 2111 S. Randall Road, Geneva

Sugar Grove Ace Hardware, 160 E. Galena Boulevard, Sugar Grove

Ace Hardware, 2144 W. Galena Boulevard, Aurora

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o

Ace Hardware, 1901 W. Wilson St., Batavia

Geneva Ace Hardware, 617 W. State St., Geneva

DG Ace Hardware, 2650 E. Main St., St. Charles

Zieglers Ace Hardware, 301 Randall Road South Elgin

o
o

Ace Hardware, 994 N. Lake St., Aurora

Zieglers Ace Hardware, 1158 Lillian St., Elgin

Zieglers Ace Hardware, 215 N. Spring St., Elgin

Zieglers Ace Hardware, Meadowdale Shopping Center, Carpentersville

For more information about the Health Places Coalition, please visit the Kane Healthy Places website
www.kanehealthyplaces.com or contact Terry Roman at 630-264-7653 or emailRomanTerry@co.kane.il.us.
The mission of the Kane County Healthy Places Coalition is to engage all interested community members in assessing
interest and issues for improving overall community health. The Coalition is formed by participants from diverse
aspects of the community, including the US Environmental Protection Agency, the Kane County Health Department,
municipal governments, hospitals, fire departments, community advocacy groups, non-profits, private corporations,
and many others.