Local health departments handing out kits to test for harmful radon gas
Ken PalmerLANSING - Local health departments are doling out kits to test for a harmful gas that reaches elevated levels in about one in four Michigan homes.
"Any home could have a radon problem," Ingham County Health Officer Linda Vail said in a news release. "There are no symptoms of exposure and no physical signs to alert someone of a radon problem. People must test their homes to know if they are being exposed."
Radon, an odorless radioactive gas, is the second-leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. Health officials estimate it is responsible for more than 20,000 lung cancer deaths each year.
Free test kits are available year-round in Ingham County, but January is National Radon Action Month, and officials are urging people to act now. Winter is the best time to test for the gas because houses are closed up, allowing it to accumulate inside.
About 23% of homes tested in Ingham County had elevated levels of radon, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy said.
The numbers are higher in Clinton and Eaton counties (36% and 35%, respectively) and higher still in Livingston County (40%) and Jackson County (44%), the agency said.
But radon levels can vary from home to home, and the only way to determine if you're being exposed to elevated levels is to test for it, health officials said.
Radon occurs naturally as radioactive elements break down in the earth and seeps into buildings through openings in foundations or walls. Officials recommend that homeowners take action if radon levels are 4 picocuries per liter or higher.
More:Three drivers injured after vehicle crosses median on U.S. 127 near Mason
More:Man rescued after truck falls through ice on flooded Eaton County road
Free test kits are available at the Ingham County Health Department's Environmental Health Division on South Cedar Street in Lansing.
The Mid-Michigan District Health Department offers free test kits to anyone living in Clinton, Gratiot and Montcalm counties. The Barry-Eaton District Health Department offers free test kits to residents of those two counties during January, according to the agency's website.
Radon test kits also are available for about $10 to $20 at hardware and home improvement stores, officials said.
Contact Ken Palmer at (517) 377-1032 or kpalmer@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @KBPalm_lsj.