DHEC offering Free Kits to test Homes for Radon

January is National Radon Action Month, and the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control encourages all South Carolinians to test their homes for radon so they can find it, fix it, and potentially save a life. A free radon test kit can be ordered from DHEC’s website at www.scdhec.gov/radon or by calling 1-800-768-0362. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that radon is responsible for more than 21,000 lung cancer-related deaths each year, which is an increase from the 20,000 deaths it estimated in previous years. This estimate makes radon the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers and the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. Radon is a naturally occurring, invisible, odorless, tasteless gas that comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock, and water and gets into the air we breathe. Testing is the only way to determine if your home has unsafe levels of radon, and DHEC is making it easy for all South Carolinians to get a free radon test kit for their homes. If a home is found to have high levels of radon, the level can be greatly reduced for about the same cost as other common home repairs.