National Radon Program Services

The 2012 National Radon Poster Contest winners have been chosen!

1st Place You May Be Living With a Killer Laura, Age 14 of New York, NY	2nd Place Has Your Home Been Tested for Radon? Hayden, Age 11 of Athens, GA
3rd Place Test Your Home for Radon Jorgia, Age 14 of Weston, FL	Special Mention Radon Can Cause Lung Cancer Claire, Age 12 of Omaha, NE

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) encourages all homeowners to test their residences for radon gas concentrations. The National Radon Program Services at Kansas State University (K-state) has radon test kits available for purchase by homeowners for personal use.

Kansas State University (K-State), as a partner in the Midwest Universities Radon Consortium, provides national radon services and projects for the US EPA. Our responsibilities include the National Radon Poster Contest, National Radon Hotlines, referrals to State Radon Programs, Radon Test Kit Orders and Coupons, Radon Mitigation Promotion, and other technical assistance and outreach activities.

The National Radon Science Fair Project provides ideas for science fair projects that will explain the science, health risks, exposure routes, mitigation and other aspects of radon. Geared towards teachers and middle and high school students, it provides helpful images, diagrams, and resources about radon and what can be done to prevent exposure to radon.

Today the Surgeon General of the United States, Richard Carmona, issued a Health Advisory about the health risk from exposure to radon in indoor air. He urged Americans to test their homes to find out how much radon they might be breathing. Dr. Carmona also stressed the need to remedy the problem as soon as possible when the radon level is 4 pCi/L or more. Dr. Carmona noted that more than 20,000 Americans die of radon-related lung cancer each year. View the press release and full text of the Surgeon General's Health Advisory on radon.

January has been designated as National Radon Action Month. The US Environmental Protection Agency's National Radon Action Month Proclamation is now available on the web! Located on their Indoor Air—Radon page, the Proclamation encourages all Americans to learn more about the health risk posed by radon.

Read the public summary of the National Academy of Sciences' Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation (BEIR) VI Report.

Two pooling studies reduce the uncertainty associated with residential risk estimates and add to the body of scientific knowledge which supports action to reduce the public's exposure to radon in indoor air. See the North American pooling abstract and the European pooling abstract.