| PRESS RELEASE Contact: Carolyn
Allen
(888) 580-9596
For Immediate Release
IS THERE A KILLER IN YOUR HOME?
WARD HILL, MA, January 10, 2005: Each year, a killer that lurks invisibly in homes throughout the country claims the lives of 15,000 to 22,000 Americans. January is National Radon Action Month. Radon, a radioactive gas, is a Class A carcinogen estimated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to cause thousands of lung cancer deaths annually. It is the number one environmental hazard in the U.S. and is second only to cigarette smoking as a cause of lung cancer deaths in this country. To protect your family, and in recognition of National Radon Action Month, the EPA says: “Test your home today!
Elizabeth Hoffmann of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a survivor of radon-induced lung cancer who did not test her home before she moved into it in 1988. A nonsmoker, Elizabeth’s 15-year exposure to dangerous levels of radon in her home resulted in the removal of the cancerous lower lobe of her left lung before her 38th birthday. Luckily, her doctors caught her cancer early. But Elizabeth’s cancer—and the lung cancer that causes the deaths of more than 60 Americans each day—might have been prevented by a simple radon test. It would have alerted Elizabeth and many others to fix their homes to reduce elevated radon levels.
“Radon-induced lung cancer is so preventable, but the public is not being told about the deadliness of radon exposure,” says Hoffmann, who is spokesperson for Cancer Survivors Against Radon. The organization encourages survivors and their families to join others who are committed to warning the public about the danger of indoor radon.
According to the EPA, “Radon can be a problem in all types of homes, including old homes, new homes, drafty homes, insulated homes, homes with basements and homes without basements. Testing your home for radon is the only way for you and your family to know if radon levels are dangerously high.” The Office of the U.S. Surgeon General and EPA recommend radon testing in all homes and fixing those with an elevated level. They estimate that about one in 15 American homes will have a radon level that should be reduced.
Carolyn Allen, general manager of AccuStar Labs, says, “The purpose of National Radon Action Month is to promote public awareness about the dangers of radon, encourage homeowners to test for elevated radon levels in their home and, if needed, reduce those levels to minimize their exposure to this radioactive, cancer-causing gas. High radon levels can be fixed, but because you cannot see, smell, or taste radon gas, you must test your home to find out if it is present. A 48-hour measurement provided by a certified radon test laboratory is an easy, inexpensive way to protect yourself and your family from this deadly gas.”
In recognition of National Radon Action Month, AccuStar Labs, which operates three certified radon test laboratories—two in Massachusetts and one in Pennsylvania, is offering radon test kits, including analysis, to homeowners for only $20. To order a test kit, call AccuStar at (888) 480-8812 before January 31, 2005.
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