By: Ag. Reporter Mollie Goode
Radon is on Christian County’s radar, with radon a naturally occurring radioactive gas that is a leading cause of lung cancer in individuals.
There is currently a research study led by the University of Kentucky College of Nursing to learn more about the effects of radon in a home. Anyone can join the study by picking up a testing kit at Hopkinsville-Christian County Public Library or the Christian County Cooperative Extension Office.
Bob Smith with Hopkinsville Community College expresses the urgency behind testing your home. He mentions how radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer right behind smoking and the leading cause among non-smokers.
He says neighborhoods can vary house to house, so there is no way to know if your home is affected by radon without testing.
Smith explains there are a couple of ways to rid your home of radon, this can begin in the build process as well as after development. If you are building your home, he says there are special techniques builders can use to ensure radon doesn’t leave its mark on your family, for older homes you can create a vacuum underneath the house and move the radon out.
Smith encourages the community to test for radon to prevent the effects it could have on the county. Christian County is one of the four counties that ranks high for radon.