This content was originally published by the Longmont Observer and is licensed under a Creative Commons license.
On Tuesday night, Longmont Mayor Brian Bagley proclaimed January 2018 as 'Radon Action Month'.
Susan Martino, an environmental health specialist at Boulder County Public Health and a project coordinator for the Front Range Public Health Regional Radon Roadmap Project, was present at the city council meeting and accepted the proclamation.
"We want to thank you for supporting our efforts to reduce lung cancer caused by radon exposure by approving the 2018 radon proclamation and by adopting radon resisting building codes in 2009," said Martino.
According to city council communication, about 50% of homes in Colorado have elevated levels of radon and is the "second leading cause of lung cancer deaths and the number one cause among non-smokers" in the US.
During the meeting, Mayor Pro Tem Polly Christensen also suggested that when the City of Longmont builds new buildings, they should be radon resistant which may help cause fewer problems in the future.
"My house has 4 times the levels of radon. It is very nice to test things but for low-income people, it is very difficult to afford to actually fix it because it is $2500 or more," said Christensen.
"And so, if we build things right in the first place we have less problems and if we can find some way to offer some financial assistance to people who are trying to mitigate it, it would be very useful."
Martino responded by saying that the State Health Department is developing a new program for "mitigation for low-income residents" and that "it will be coming this year."
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that is colorless, odorless and tasteless.
If you are looking to test your home for radon, you can check out Safety Siren Radon Gas Detectors at the Longmont Public Library.
