January is Radon Action Month. The Illinois Emergency Management Agency works with students to increase public awareness.
Radon is a gas that is naturally produced in the soil. It is colorless, odorless and can get into homes and buildings through small foundation cracks. It can also come through sump pumps and crawl spaces.
Patrick Daniels is the radon program manager at IEMA. He said educating kids could help get the information over to their parents.
He said statewide contests for middle and high school students help accomplish this.
“The kids make posters about radon. There are some specific rules that are available -- we partner with the American Lung Association to do that contest. Those rules are available on their website,” he said.
The poster contest is for middle school students. High school students participate in a video contest.
Daniels said all homes should be tested.
“It enters our homes because the homes are at a lower atmospheric pressure than outdoor atmospheric pressure. So, it doesn’t matter whether you have a home with a basement, a home with a crawl space or your home is a slab on a grade that sits directly on the soil," said Daniels.
He said homeowners could buy a kit from a home improvement store or call the radon information line.
Exposure to radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States behind cigarette smoking.