Lakewood Fourth-Grader Wins Radon Awareness Poster Contest
February
21, 2008—Denver—The Colorado Department of Public Health
and Environment today
announced the state winner of the National Radon Poster
Contest.
Colorado’s first place poster, titled “Keep Your Radar Out
For
Radon,” was created by fourth-grader Christina Bear of
Colorado
Academy in Lakewood. Christina’s poster colorfully
highlights the
health risks posed by long-term exposure to radon and
recommends that
citizens check their homes for radon. The National Safety
Council, in conjunction with the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, sponsors the poster contest every January
- National
Radon Action Month. Staff from the state health department’s
Hazardous
Materials Waste Management Division judged the contest in
Colorado.
Additional information for the poster contest is on the
National Safety
Council’s Web site at
www.nsc.org.
“Thanks to Christina for helping us bring attention to
the importance
of radon testing,” said Warren Smith, community relations
manager for
the Hazardous Materials Division.
The state health department urges Coloradans to test
their homes for
radon during the winter months, when doors and windows are
closed.
Long-term exposure to radon - a colorless, odorless,
tasteless
radioactive gas - is the most frequent cause of lung cancer
in
non-smokers and the second leading cause of lung cancer in
smokers.
Exposure to radon is responsible for approximately 21,000
lung cancer
deaths in the United States each year. Radon test kits are
available at most hardware stores for less than
$35. Additional resources, including a link to National
Environmental
Health Association-certified contractors, are available on
the Colorado
Department of Public Health and Environment’s Web site at
www.coloradoradon.info, or by calling the department’s Radon
Hotline at 1-800-846-3986. Colorado residents also can check
with their
local health department, county extension office or public
health nurses
for radon information.
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