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The event was designed to help professionals who handle questions
from the public about radon and its associated health risks. IEMA
and its many partners throughout the state work to increase
awareness of radon health risks and encourage individuals to test
their homes for radon. Participants learned about IEMA radon
grant opportunities that can enhance their program and shared ideas with representatives from other local radon programs.
During the conference, IEMA recognized Ruth Ann Lipic of
Lexington with the agency's first-ever Illinois Excellence in Radon
Award. Lipic, Director of Radon Awareness at Illinois State
University, was recognized for her work with the McLean County
Radon Task Force and Illinois State University. For the past several
years, Lipic has worked to provide radon information and training to
citizens, health professionals, radon professionals and state and
county officials in Central Illinois. She also assists IEMA in
bringing radon awareness to women at various women's conferences.
"Ruth Ann has been a leader statewide in helping increase public
awareness about radon and its hazards," said William C. Burke, IEMA
director. "She's been instrumental in helping us get the word out
about the importance of testing homes for radon, and I can think of
no one more deserving of this recognition than Ruth Ann."
Radon is a colorless, odorless, tasteless radioactive gas that
comes from the radioactive decay of naturally occurring uranium in
the soil. It can enter homes and buildings through small cracks in
the foundation, sump pumps or soil in crawl spaces. The U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has determined that radon is
the second leading cause of lung cancer in the nation and
established 4.0 picocuries per liter of air (pCi/L) as the
recommended action level. The National Academy of Sciences and the
Surgeon General estimate that 21,000 radon-related lung cancer
deaths occur annually in the United States, as many as 900 of those
in Illinois.
A report released by IEMA in September found nearly half of
22,000 homes tested by professionals in 2003 and 2004 had
potentially unsafe levels of radon. The study also found 80 counties
where few, if any, professional tests for the naturally occurring
radioactive gas known to cause lung cancer were conducted during the
two-year study period. The screening information was obtained from
radon measurement reports submitted by licensed radon measurement
professionals throughout Illinois.
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 Representatives from the following health departments were
scheduled to attend the Radon Networking Day:
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Champaign-Urbana
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Chicago
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Cass County
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Cook County
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Douglas County
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Ford-Iroquois
counties
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Gallatin County
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Kankakee County
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Kendall County
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Knox County
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Lake County
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Logan County
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Montgomery County
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Saline County
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Sangamon County
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Tazewell County
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White County
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Will County
Other participants in the event were representatives from the
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the University of
Illinois-Chicago, Illinois State University, Waterloo Junior High
School, the USEPA, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic
Opportunity, Village of Glenview, American Lung Association of
Illinois, American Lung Association of Metropolitan Chicago and OSF
Health Plans.
January is national
Radon Action
Month, and IEMA is recognizing several local governments that
have issued proclamations to increase public awareness of the indoor
air hazard, including Cook County, DuPage County, Sangamon County,
Naperville, Warrenville and Yorkville.
The IEMA website
includes a variety of information about
radon,
including what radon is and how it gets into homes, contacts for
measurement and mitigation professionals and how to obtain a free
radon home test kit from IEMA. The site was recently updated to
include maps of all testing data received by the agency from 2003-05
and mitigation data gathered from 2005. Visitors to the site can see
how many tests have been conducted in their zip code area during
that time frame, as well as how many homes tested above the USEPA
action level. Information on the number of homes that have had radon
reduction systems installed is also available by zip code on the
site.
People seeking more information about radon can visit the IEMA
website or contact the Radon Hotline at 1-800-325-1245.
[Illinois
Emergency Management Agency news release] |
