Sacramento, California - California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith today offered residents of Santa Clara, Fresno and Madera counties an opportunity to take part in free testing to learn about radon and whether their families are at risk.

“The first step in reducing the risk of lung cancer due to radon exposure is finding out whether it is in your home,” said Dr. Smith. “The presence of radon can vary widely within a county or even within a neighborhood, and the only way to know if your family is being exposed is by having your home tested.”  

CDPH will offer free radon home test kits to residents in the three counties as part of the 2015-2016 County Winter Radon Screening Survey. The testing takes up to four days and does not affect normal household activity. Some residents of those counties who live over certain types of geological units will be receiving letters from CDPH inviting them to take advantage of the opportunity. Residents in these counties that do not receive a letter can also request a free home test kit by visiting the CDPH Indoor Radon Program Web page.

Data collected in each county contribute to CDPH’s ongoing efforts to develop a statewide radon map by 2020. All regional maps published to date can be viewed on the CDPH radon Web page. 

The free test kits are provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s State Indoor Radon Grant fund. With continued funding, CDPH will select new counties each year to receive free test kits to help complete the statewide radon map. California residents outside of those counties can purchase a radon test kit through the CDPH radon Web page for $7.95. All Californians are encouraged to test their homes as homes that are found to have radon can be fixed. 

Radon is a naturally occurring gas that is both colorless and odorless and is responsible for more than 20,000 lung cancer deaths in the United States each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.