Residents are encouraged by the Florida Department of Health in Orange County to take action to protect their homes and families from the dangers of radon exposure during National Radon Action Month.

National Radon Action Month is a nationwide campaign to educate Americans on the serious threat that radon poses to the community’s health. The best way for residents to protect themselves is to test their homes for radon, a silent killer.

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.

In Florida, one in five homes tested has elevated radon levels. 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 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  https://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.