Dangerous gas may lurk in third of homes

More than a third of the homes tested in Carson Valley have elevated levels of a poisonous radioactive gas that is the leading cause of lung cancer among nonsmokers.

The University of Nevada Cooperative Extension reports 35 percent of homes tested in Minden and Gardnerville have elevated levels of radon. Nearly 60 percent of homes in Stateline, Glenbrook and Zephyer Cove have higher levels of the gas.

"It is a serious health risk that is preventable and fixable," said Cooperative Extension Educator Steve Lewis. "People are starting to take radon more seriously and becoming more aware of the health effects and the possibility that there might be a silent killer in their homes."

Radon is a naturally occurring, invisible, odorless and tasteless gas that is dispersed in outdoor air but can reach harmful levels when trapped in buildings.

Environmental Protection Agency estimates that radon causes more than 20,000 lung cancer deaths per year. Radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. after smoking.

Lewis urged area residents to take steps in January - National Radon Action Month - by testing their homes for radon. Simple and free radon test kits can be obtained at both public meetings.

"Test kits purchased at local hardware and home improvement stores can cost $20 or more, but our program is offering free test kits as a service to Nevada residents," Lewis said.

For more information on radon, radon testing and mitigation, and building new homes with radon-resistant features, call Douglas County Cooperative Extension at 782-9960, visit Radon Education Program Web site at www.unce.unr.edu/radon or visit Environmental Protection Agency's National Radon Action Month Web site at www.epa.gov/radon/nram.

The event is sponsored by the Radon Education Program, which is working with the Nevada State Health Division and the EPA in a nationwide campaign to educate Americans about the dangers of radon exposure and to encourage them to take action to protect their homes and families.

University of Nevada Cooperative Extension's Radon Education Program is conducting two free public meetings in Douglas County: Jan. 28, from 7-8 p.m., at the Sheridan Volunteer Fire Department, 980 Sheridan Lane, in Gardnerville, and Jan. 29, from 7-8 p.m., at Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, 128 Market St., in Stateline.