November 1, 2007

Christopher Ian LeFlore, a student at West Hills Middle School in the Bloomfield Hills School District, has won the Michigan Radon Poster Contest that was recently held to highlight the risks posed by exposure to indoor radon. Taking 2nd place was Izaneida Salazar of Cesar Chavez Academy Middle School in Detroit, and in 3rd place was Daniel Kashy of Murphy Elementary School in Haslett.

All three posters have been forwarded for entry into the National Radon Poster Contest, which is sponsored by the National Safety Council and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The winners of the National Poster Contest, along with a parent and sponsor, will receive an all-expense paid trip to Washington, DC to attend the national award ceremony in January 2008. The 1st place posters from each state will be posted on the National Safety Council's Web site and can be viewed at http://www.nsc.org/issues/radon/radon_poster.htm.

Michigan's top three posters can be seen at the Department of Environmental Quality's Web site at http://www.michigan.gov/deqradon.

Radon is a tasteless, odorless, colorless, radioactive gas that occurs naturally in soil and rock. It normally travels up and out to the atmosphere where it is quickly diluted, but when trapped under a home's foundation, it can leak into the home through cracks and openings in the floor or walls, and exposure over time can increase one's risk of lung cancer.

Radon is believed to be the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States and the leading cause among nonsmokers. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that it results in more than 20,000 lung cancer cases each year, and a Michigan Public Health Institute report indicates that more than 600 of those may occur in Michigan alone.

For more information about radon, visit http://www.michigan.gov/deqradon, or call the DEQ's Radon Program at 1-800-RADON GAS (1-800-723-6642) for a free packet of information.

Editor's note: DEQ news releases are available on the department's Internet home page at www.michigan.gov/deq.

"Protecting Michigan's Environment, Ensuring Michigan's Future"

Revised November 1, 2007 by Pat Watson