About Us 2

RADON - A SILENT KILLER

What is radon?

Radon is a colorless and odorless radioactive gas. It is formed during the breakdown of uranium, which is found in nearly all soils and rocks. Radon ranks among the most serious environmental health problems facing our nation today.

How does radon get indoors?

High levels of radon in the soil are primarily responsible for indoor radon problems. Radon seeps into homes through gaps or cracks in the foundation floor or walls, sump pits, drains or other openings. Once confined in an enclosed space such as a home, it can accumulate to unhealthy levels.

What are the health risks?

The United States Environmental Protection Agency estimates that residential radon exposure is responsible for 7,000 to 30,000 lung cancer deaths per year. The Surgeon General has warned that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. Only smoking causes more lung cancer deaths. If you smoke and your home has an elevated radon level, your risk of lung cancer is especially high.

How do you find out if radon is a problem in your home?

Data indicates that in Macomb County approximately 5 - 10% of the homes will have elevated radon levels. Since radon is odorless and invisible, the only way to know if your home has a radon problem is to test for it. Free, easy-to-use radon test kits are available to Macomb County residents through the Macomb County Health Department. These easy-to-use kits allow you to check your home for radon. Test kits can be reserved by calling the Macomb County Health Department at 586-469-5236. After you have reserved your kit, it will be available for pickup at the Health Department’s Central Health Center in Mount Clemens located at 43525 Elizabeth Road during normal business hours of 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.

What can you do if your home has a radon problem?

A variety of methods are used to reduce radon levels in homes. The cost of making repairs depends on the design of your home and the extent of the radon problem. The average house costs about $1,200 to fix, although repairs can range from about $500 to $2500. Contact the Macomb County Health Department to obtain a list of contractors that have completed federal and/or state radon remediation training programs.

Additional resources

Michigan Department of Environmental Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) https://www.michigan.gov/egle/about/organization/materials-management/indoor-radon

Environmental Protection Agency https://www.epa.gov/radon

Questions?

Call us at 586-469-5236, weekdays, 8:30am-5:00pm or email us environmental.health@macombgov.org.

The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a distinct and diverse community of Christians that come together as one church to join faith and action. With over 5,000 churches and nearly one million members across the U.S., the UCC serves God in the co-creation of a just and sustainable world. The UCC is a church of firsts, a church of extravagant welcome, and a church where "…they may all be one" (John 17:21).

The Church of Firsts

Since 1957, the United Church of Christ has been the church of firsts, weaving God’s message of hope and extravagant welcome with action for justice and peace. Together, we live out our faith in ways that effect change in our communities. The UCC's many "firsts" mean that we have inherited a tradition of acting upon the demands of our faith. When we read in Galatians: "There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus"—a demand is made upon us. And so we were the first historically white denomination to ordain an African-American, the first to ordain a woman, the first to ordain an openly gay man, and the first Christian church to affirm the right of same-gender couples to marry. We were in the forefront of the anti-slavery movement and the Civil Rights movement. Our response to the demands of our faith is woven into the history of our country.

A Church of Extravagant Welcome

Today, we continue to change lives throughout the world. We work alongside more than 200 mission partners. We labor ceaselessly to fight injustice, in the United States and abroad. We instill our vision into our youth and young adults, forging leaders who will imagine new dreams. And we sustain and develop church leaders, pastors, and our local churches to live their faith in exciting new ways. We believe in a God that is still speaking, a God that is all-loving and inclusive. We are a church that welcomes and accepts everyone as they are, where your mind is nourished as much as your soul.

We are a church where Jesus the healer meets Jesus the revolutionary, and where together, we grow a just and peaceful world.

Please visit this page often to see additional updates to topics on personal and family wellness. Announcements on available Health screenings will appear on the EVENTS Tab of this site.