In an effort to help residents find out whether they’re exposed to a cancer-causing radioactive gas, the New Canaan Health Department has partnered with the state to provide 100 locals with free home-testing kits.
New Canaan Director of Health Jennifer Eielson.
Those interested in obtaining a free radon test kit should contact the department at 203-594-3037 or email New Canaan Director of Health Jen Eielson at jen.eielson@newcanaanct.gov. Supplies are limited and test kits will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.
Invisible and odorless, radon is “released in rock, soil, and water formed from the breakdown of uranium,” Eielson said in a press release.
Asked about the prevalence of radon in homes here, she estimated that “roughly 30 percent of the homes tested that I see have elevated levels of radon in New Canaan.”
“New Canaan is also geographically in Zone 1 which has the highest potential for radon,” Eielson added in an email.
Exposure to radon is the leading cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers in the United States, she said. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that radon causes more than 20,000 lung cancer deaths in the country each year.
The Health Department partnered with the Connecticut Department of Public Health Lead, Radon, & Healthy Homes program to offer the free radon home test kits for New Canaan residents. They’re funded through an EPA grant with DPH “so there is no charge to our residents for the testing and results,” Eielson said.
. The New Canaan Health Department has received 100 free radon home test kits so supplies are limited.