Colorado Department of Public Health and
Environment Provides
Radon Grants to Cities, Counties and Extension Services
DENVER — The Colorado Department of Public Health and
Environment issued 14 indoor radon grants totaling $139,814 to local
entities this fall, including cities, county health departments,
university extension services, a research center and a teacher training
program. (Grant recipients are listed below.) The funds originate from
an Environmental Protection Agency Indoor Radon Grant and are passed
through to local communities to conduct community outreach and education
on radon issues.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and
Environment urges residents to test their homes for radon, a
radioactive gas contributing to as many as 500 Colorado lung
cancer deaths each year. The colorless, odorless, tasteless gas
enters homes through cracks in the floor or spaces around
utility pipes and accumulates unless properly vented. Long-term
radon exposure is the leading cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers
and the second leading cause of lung cancer in smokers.
The winter months are an ideal time to test your
home for radon, because short-term tests require closed windows
and doors. Testing is easy, and it’s the only way to know for
certain if your health is at risk, and to make your home safe to
prevent harm to you and your loved ones.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and
Environment provides coupons for reduced-cost radon test kits at
www.coloradoradon.info. The Web site also lists contractors
certified by the National Environmental Health Association to
install systems to remove or mitigate radon.
“The Environmental Protection Agency recommends
installing a mitigation system if your home tests above four
picocuries per liter of air,” explained Chrystine Kelley, radon
program coordinator in the Colorado Department of Public Health
and Environment’s Hazardous Materials and Waste Management
Division. “Qualified contractors can seal cracks and install
ventilation systems to prevent radon from collecting in your
home.”
Radon comes from the radioactive decay of
uranium, which occurs naturally in soil. Due to Colorado’s
geologic makeup, 52 of the state’s 64 counties are at high risk
for radon. The gas moves unpredictably through soil, so it’s
possible for radon to collect in one home, but not in a home
next door.
Colorado residents can call the state’s Radon
Hotline at 1-800-846-3986 or check with their local health
department, county extension office or public health nurse for
radon information
| Grantee |
Representing |
| City of Aspen |
City of Aspen |
| Boulder County Public Health |
Boulder County |
| Center for Environmental Research and
Technology |
Statewide |
| Colorado State University Extension
Offices |
Chaffee, Park, Moffat, Rio Blanco, Routt, Jackson,
Grand and Teller Counties |
| Colorado School of Mines |
Middle School Teacher Training |
| City of Fort Collins |
City of Fort Collins |
| Jefferson County Public Health |
Jefferson County |
| Las Animas-Huerfano Counties District
Health Department |
Las Animas and Huerfano Counties |
| Mesa County Health Department |
Mesa County |
| Montrose County Health and Human
Services |
Delta, San Miguel, Montrose, Ouray, Gunnison and
Hinsdale counties |
| Phillips County Commissioners |
Phillips, Kit Carson, Sedgwick, Logan, Washington,
Morgan and Yuma counties |
| Citizens for Clean Air in Pueblo |
Pueblo City and County |
| San Juan Basin Health Department |
La Plata, San Juan and Archuleta counties |
| Southeast Environmental Health |
Prowers, Baca, Bent and Kiowa counties |
---30---
State of Colorado,
Department
Home
|
