O’FALLON – HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital has partnered with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and the American Lung Association to distribute free radon detection kits to members of the community and provide free educational presentations about the impact of Radon on the public’s health.
Plan to attend one of the two educational presentations on Wednesday, January 22 about radon and testing your home. The first is session begins at 11:30 a.m. and the other is at 4:30 p.m. Both will be held in the hospital’s boardroom, which is located on the first floor of the hospital. Enter the building at the main entrance under the blue "Hospital" sign and continue down the hall to the boardroom.
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Participants will receive a free take-home test kit (while supplies last). Preregistration is not required.
What is radon? Radon is a colorless, tasteless and odorless naturally occurring gas that causes lung cancer. Radon can reside at dangerous levels inside homes, schools and other buildings.IFyour home test shows elevated levels of radon,you can fix the problem by having a radon mitigation system installed. A radon mitigation system consists of a vent pipe, fan and the proper sealing of cracks.
After the educational sessions, any remaining kits can be picked up on January 23 and 24 from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. at the front lobby (while supplies last).
Exposure to radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, after smoking. Radon-related lung cancers are responsible for an estimated 21,000 deaths annually in the United States. As many as 1,160 Illinois citizens are at risk of developing radon-related lung cancer each year according to the IEMA and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
“Radon related health risks are preventable,” said Acting IEMA Director Alicia Tate-Nadeau. “Radon can be detected with a simple test and mitigated through well-established techniques. I greatly appreciate and value this partnership with the American Lung Association and Hospital Sisters Health System because with greater awareness we can save lives.”
St. Elizabeth’s, IEMA and the American Lung Association want to make sure your home is safe by providing you with the kit you need to test it. The only way to detect a buildup of radon in your home is to test the air. Plan to attend one of the educational sessions to learn about radon, how it affects lung health and what you can do about it.
For more information about HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, visit the hospital’s web site at www.steliz.org. HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital is part of the Southern Illinois Division of Hospital Sisters Health System, which also includes HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital in Effingham, HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital in Breese, HSHS Holy Family Hospital in Greenville and HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital in Highland.
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