Contact:
Kent Donahue
Public Information Officer

kent.donahue@flhealth.gov

(407) 858-1418

Orlando, FL – January is National Radon Action Month, and the Florida Department of Health in Orange County encourages residents to take action to protect their homes and families from the dangers of radon exposure. The best way for residents to protect themselves is to test their homes for radon, a silent killer.

In Florida, one in five homes tested has elevated radon levels. Testing homes for elevated levels of radon is simple and inexpensive. Radon test kits can be purchased at local hardware and home improvement stores. Radon problems can be fixed by qualified contractors for a cost.

Radon is a naturally occurring, invisible, odorless, tasteless gas that is dispersed in outdoor air, but which can reach harmful levels when trapped in buildings. Scientist have long been concerned about the health risk of radon, however, never has there been such overwhelming proof that exposure to elevated levels of radon cause lung cancer in humans. 

The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that radon is responsible for more than 21,000 lung cancer deaths per year. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. after smoking and the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers.

For more information on radon, radon testing, mitigation and radon-resistant new construction, call the Florida Department of Health at 850-245-4288 or visit our website at  http://www.floridahealth.gov/environmental-health/radon/ or visit EPA’s National Radon Action Month website at https://www.epa.gov/radon/national-radon-action-month-information.

About the Florida Department of Health

The department, nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts.

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