State health officials today urged Connecticut residents to test their home for radon and take other steps to ensure they have a healthy home. According to a release from the Connecticut Department of Public Health, indoor air pollutants like radon, tobacco smoke and carbon monoxide, contaminated private well water, lead-based paint in older homes, and asbestos-containing materials in our homes put our health at risk. These household dangers can make us very sick, and lead to increased health care costs, poor school performance, and missed days at work and school.
Radon gas is a naturally occurring radioactive gas. It is estimated that about 20 percent of Connecticut homes have elevated levels of radon gas. Radon gas is the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers and responsible for more than 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year in the United States.
DPH recommends that all Connecticut homes be tested for radon, a colorless and odorless gas.
Testing is simple and inexpensive. If levels are elevated, steps can be taken to reduce high levels
by qualified radon contractors, with costs typically ranging between $1,200 and $1,500. To obtain
a kit, call 1-800-Lung USA.
Last year, DPH formed the Healthy Homes Initiative to promote safe and healthy home
environments by addressing physical, chemical, and toxic hazards in the home. Several of the
department’s programs integrate a healthy homes approach in their work through a combination
of education and outreach, workforce development, and home-based interventions that address
the underlying causes of multiple home hazards.
As part of this initiative, DPH compiled data on housing conditions and housing-related health
issues to produce the Connecticut Healthy Homes Data Book. The data book compares
Connecticut housing data with national statistics, and addresses a number of environmental
hazards in the home and how they impact our health.
To view the data book and learn more about what you can do to make your home healthy,
visit www.ct.gov/dph/healthyhomes or call the Department of Public Health at 860-509-7367.
