For Immediate Release:
January 21, 2009

Contact:
Lori Buchanan
Office of Public Information
573-751-6062

Local Student Wins State Radon Poster Contest

Kendall Miller, an eighth grader at Savannah Middle School, Savannah, has won the 2009 Missouri Radon Poster Contest. Kendall will be presented the first-place award at 8 a.m. on January 30, 2009 at the school. Second place honors went to Colton Saunders and third place went to Samantha Brown, both seventh graders at Savannah Middle School.

Sponsored by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, the statewide poster contest was held to draw attention to radon and the health risks it poses through indoor exposure. The three Missouri winners were selected from among 109 poster entries.  This is the first time all three winners have come from the same school.

“Congratulations to Kendall, her classmates, and to all of the kids who entered Missouri’s Radon Poster Contest,” said Margaret Donnelly, director of the Department of Health and Senior Services.  “The poster contest is a great way to educate children and parents about radon and its harmful effects, but it also allows kids to use their creativity and artistic ability.”

As a state winner, Kendall’s poster was entered into the National Radon Poster Contest, sponsored by the National Safety Council (NSC) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Kendall’s poster, along with the winning posters from other states, can be seen on the NSC website at www.nsc.org/issues/radon/radon_poster.htm. 

Radon is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas formed by the natural radioactive decay of uranium in rock, soil, and water. Naturally existing, low levels of uranium occur widely in the Earth’s crust, and can be found in all 50 states. Once produced, radon moves through the ground to the air above. Some remains below the surface and dissolves in groundwater.

Radon gas decays into radioactive particles that can get trapped in the lungs. As these particles decay further, they release small bursts of energy.  This can damage lung tissue and lead to lung cancer over the course of a person’s lifetime. Not everyone exposed to elevated levels of radon will develop lung cancer, and the amount of time between exposure and the onset of disease may be many years.  The EPA estimates that radon causes about 20,000 deaths from lung cancer annually in the United States. The U.S. Surgeon General has warned that radon is the number one cause of lung cancer in non-smokers, and the second leading cause of lung cancer after cigarette smoking.

Fortunately, the level of radon exposure in homes, schools and other buildings can be determined through a simple, inexpensive, and effective test. If elevated levels are detected, proven mitigation techniques can be used to lower the levels. Free radon testing kits can be ordered on-line from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services’ Radon Program at www.dhss.mo.gov/Radon or by calling 573-751-6102.  For more information on radon, call the National Safety Council’s Radon Helpline at (800) 557-2366.