News Releases from Region 09

U.S. EPA awards $790,000 to Nevada Department of Health and Human Services to reduce radon exposure

Carson City, Nev. (July 15, 2019) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently awarded $790,000 to the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services (NDHHS) to support outreach and other tools to reduce public exposure to radon, a naturally occuring radioactive gas. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, after cigarette smoking.  

“This funding will reduce radon exposure statewide through increased testing and mitigation,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Mike Stoker. “These funds will also assist in outreach efforts to educate the community about the risks posed by radon.”

"This grant award allows DPBH to continue public information and outreach activities to educate the public and encourage testing for, mitigation, and prevention of exposure to radioactive radon, the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers," said NDHHS Division of Public and Behavioral Health Chief Karen Beckley.

EPA’s grant will support public outreach activities to increase testing, carry out mitigation, and reduce radon exposure. Funding will be used to provide radon education to medical, child care and real estate professionals as well as for school sampling and training for radon testing statewide. NDHHS will explore adopting codes for radon-resistant new construction.

Radon is a radioactive gas that comes from the breakdown of natural uranium deposits in soil. Radon can seep into inhabited areas through a building’s foundation, accumulating to unsafe levels if ventilation is inadequate. Elevated radon levels have been found in homes nationwide. Because radon gas is odorless and invisible, the only way to know if your home has a radon problem is to test for it.

Find out more about radon: https://19january2021snapshot.epa.gov/radon

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