State Health officials are asking all Iowans to take part in National Radon Action Week this week. Cindy Shubatt of the Iowa Department of Public Health says it’s an attempt to publicize the odorless, colorless gas. She says they’re encouraging people to think about radon and to test their homes in the coming months when the homes are closed up for the winter season. Shubatt says the gas can be deadly. She says radon used to be uranium and as it degrades, it turns into radon. She says we can breathe in the radon and it will eventually damage D-N-A and lung tissue and cause lung cancer. Shubatt encourages you to seek more information on radon. You can call the state radon number at: 800-393-5992 or the Iowa Air Coatlition at: 800-206-7818. She says the people in those offices can answer any questions and tell you how to get a test kit. She says radon gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer in our country.
