Test kits available for West Milford, Ringwood residents Paterson The Passaic County Freeholders announced today that Passaic County Department of Health will cooperate with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) Radon Bureau in a special radon awareness program to promote testing for radon in homes. In its program, the NJDEP Radon Bureau provides outreach assistance to promote radon testing in homes. “Passaic County is pleased to cooperate with the NJDEP in this program to ensure that our residents are aware of the need to test their homes and reduce radon levels where necessary,” said Freeholder and West Milford resident Terry Duffy. “Testing is the only way to know if you and your family are at risk from radon. Radon testing is easy and problems can be fixed.” For communities participating in the program, the NJDEP provides the county health department with radon informational materials including brochures, videotapes, posters, and giveaways to support local outreach initiatives. Passaic County Health Officer Irene Jessie-Hunte explained that the state provided funds for a limited amount of free test kits. “At this time we are targeting Ringwood Borough and West Milford Township because of the potential for higher levels of radon in these towns,” said Hunte. Test kits will be available on a first come first served basis by calling 973-225-3651. The kits reserved by West Milford residents man be picked up at the West Milford Health Department. Radon is a radioactive gas that occurs naturally when uranium breaks down in the soil and rock formations. Small amounts of uranium are found in nearly all soils and rocks. Radon gas moves up through the soil and finds its way into homes through cracks in the foundation and openings around sump pumps, pipes and drains. High radon levels are associated with a greater risk of lung cancer. Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer for non-smokers. Overall, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer resulting in approximately 21,000 deaths in the United States per year. It is recommended that homes be mitigated if they have radon concentrations of 4 pCi/L or more. There is truly no “safe” level of radon since lung cancer can result from very low exposures to radon; however, the risk decreases as the radon concentration decreases. If your test result is less than 4 pCi/L you may want to discuss with mitigation companies whether the radon level can be brought down still further. In about half of the homes that have been mitigated in New Jersey, radon levels have been brought to less than 1 pCi/L. Homeowners who tested in the past and found low levels of radon may wish to retest to determine if radon concentrations have changed, due to changes in air flow within the house from new construction or other renovations, or due to new construction nearby that may have caused changes in the local geology. In addition to test kits provided by Passaic County Department of Health, the NJDEP’s Radon Bureau at 800-648-0394 or www.njradon.org can provide a list of state certified companies that provide testing services or do-it yourself test kits, as well as companies that provide radon remediation services. For more information on radon, contact Renee B. Allessio of the county health department at 973-225-3651.