Free short-term kits that test for radon are available now through February at the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, and several educational workshops have been planned as part of National Radon Action Month.
Almost 25 percent of homes statewide have radon concentrations at or above U.S. Environmental Protection Agency action levels. An estimated 21,000 Americans die each year from lung cancer caused by radon. Living in a radon-plagued home poses a risk of developing lung cancer similar to the risk posed by smoking a half pack of cigarettes per day, according to the EPA.
Radon is a naturally-occurring, radioactive gas that is colorless, odorless, and tasteless.
Kits are available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays at the Cooperative Extension, 4955 Energy Way, Reno. For a list of other locations to obtain kits, visit
https://www.unce.unr.edu/programs/sites/radon/files/pdf/NRAM2018Locations.pdf
Scheduled presentations on the dangers of radon are as follows:
- 4 p.m. Jan. 17, Verdi Community Library & Nature Center, 270 Bridge St., Verdi
- 6 p.m. Jan. 23, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, 128 Market St., Stateline
- 6:30 p.m. Jan. 24, Carson City Senior Center, 911 Beverly Drive, Carson City
- 6 p.m. Feb. 7, South Valleys Library, 15650 Wedge Parkway, Reno
- 6 p.m. Feb. 8, Carson Valley Improvement Club, 1604 Esmeralda Ave., Minden
- 12:45 p.m. Feb. 15, Storey County Senior Center, 100 Mill St., Virginia City
- 6 p.m. Feb. 21, Incline Village General Improvement District, 1220 Sweetwater Road, Incline Village
- 2 p.m. Feb. 24, Northwest Reno Library, 2325 Robb Drive, Reno
