HSHS St. Joseph's Hospital issued the following announcement on Dec. 20.
HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital Highland has partnered with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and the American Lung Association to provide education and distribute radon detection kits (while supplies last) to members of the community.
What is radon? Radon is a colorless, tasteless and odorless naturally occurring gas that causes lung cancer. Radon can reside at dangerous levels inside homes, schools and other buildings. IF your home test shows elevated levels of radon, you can fix the problem by having a radon mitigation system installed. A radon mitigation system consists of a vent pipe, fan and the proper sealing of cracks.
Plan to attend an educational presentation about radon and testing your home on Tuesday, January 7 in the Ungacta Conference Room at HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital Highland. Two 30-minute sessions are available, one at 2 p.m. and another at 5:30 p.m. The first 25 participants will receive a free take-home test kit – one kit per household. No preregistration is required. Attendees whose tests show elevated radon levels in their homes will be entered in a drawing to receive a radon mitigation valued up to $1,500. One winner will be chosen from those entered from the Southern Illinois Division of HSHS.
Exposure to radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, after smoking. Radon-related lung cancers are responsible for an estimated 21,000 deaths annually in the United States.
As many as 1,160 Illinois citizens are at risk of developing radon-related lung cancer each year according to the IEMA and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
“Radon related health risks are preventable,” said Acting IEMA Director Alicia Tate-Nadeau. “Radon can be detected with a simple test and mitigated through well-established techniques. I greatly appreciate and value this partnership with the American Lung Association and Hospital Sisters Health System because with greater awareness we can save lives.”
HSHS St. Joseph’s, IEMA and the American Lung Association want to make sure your home is safe by providing you with the kit you need to test it. The only way to detect a buildup of radon in your home is to test the air. Plan to attend one of the educational sessions to learn about radon, how it affects lung health and what you can do about it.
In case of inclement weather, please check the Hospital’s Facebook page to find information on the status of the seminar.
Original source can be found here.
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