The Cook County Environmental Health Department is offering free radon testing kits.
The Minnesota Department of Health recommends that all homes be tested for radon. It’s the only way to know if your home has an elevated level of radon, which can cause lung cancer. Radon is an odorless, colorless and tasteless radioactive gas that occurs naturally in Minnesota soils and can enter homes through cracks and openings in basement or foundation floors and walls.
To obtain a free test kit, visit the Cook County Planning and Zoning Department located on the main floor of the courthouse.
It is believed that every 25 minutes, one person in the U.S. dies from radon-related lung cancer. It is the largest environmental cancer risk and the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. Fortunately, the risk is largely preventable.
MDH estimates that one in three existing Minnesota homes have radon levels that pose a large health risk over many years of exposure. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States and more than 21,000 deaths are attributed to radon each year.
Testing is easy, inexpensive and only takes three to five days.
For more information on radon testing and mitigation visit www.health.state.mn.us/radon or call the Minnesota Department of Health Indoor Air Unit at 651-201-4601 or 1-800-798-9050, or the county Planning & Zoning Office at 218-387- 3630.
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