Governor Gretchen Whitmer declares January 2025 as Radon Action Month

Test and Fix Your Nest This Winter

Governor Gretchen Whitmer has declared January 2025 as Radon Action Month in Michigan, encouraging Michigan residents to learn more about this environmental hazard and to test their homes during the heating season.

You cannot see, smell, or taste radon, and there are no short-term side effects that could cause alarm or warn of its presence. However, long-term exposure increases the risk of lung cancer, which accounts for more deaths than any other form of cancer in the United States. Behind smoking, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer and is considered a leading environmental cause of cancer deaths in the United States. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) aims to increase awareness of health risks associated with elevated indoor radon levels, promote home testing, and encourage citizens to take action to reduce their exposure once elevated radon levels are found.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that radon is responsible for about 20,000 lung cancer deaths in the United States each year. Despite radon being the leading cause of lung cancer for nonsmokers, the risk of lung cancer from radon exposure is significantly higher for people who smoke or are exposed to secondhand smoke.

Recent studies have shown that many Michiganders, including those residing in overburdened communities, are unaware of the hidden dangers of exposure to radioactive radon gas indoors. This is why EGLE continues to promote radon education, awareness, and promotion of testing. Fortunately, testing is easy, inexpensive, and the only way to determine if a radon problem exists in homes.

In Michigan, an estimated one out of every four homes are projected to have radon levels exceeding the federal action level of 4 picocuries per liter of air (4 pCi/L). Elevated radon levels have been found in all 83 Michigan Counties. Radon poses a serious health threat , but high indoor radon concentrations can be reduced. EGLE’s indoor radon website contains information to help residents find measurement and mitigation contractors, along with other helpful tips. Additionally, EGLE has produced an interactive Map of Michigan Indoor Radon Results to help explore levels around the state.

This January, EGLE encourages:

All residents to test their home, especially if it has never been tested, or if it has been longer than two years.
Installation of mitigation systems for residents that have tested and found elevated radon levels.
Inspection of existing radon reduction systems and retesting to ensure proper operation of the system, if it has not been done in the past two years.
Residents to tell a friend, neighbor, or family member about radon and its potential threat to lung health.

For more information about radon testing, including resources for homeowners, builders, realtors, teachers, and healthcare providers, go to Michigan.gov/Radon, or call EGLE’s Indoor Radon hotline at 800-723-6642 (800-RADONGAS). For more information on lung cancer prevention strategies, please visit Michigan.gov/Cancer.

To stay up to date on other EGLE news, follow us at Michigan.gov/MIEnvironment

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