Letters inviting 4,000 randomly selected homeowners to take part in the study are going out now. With northern Illinois still struggling to escape winter's grip, the timing is good. Often, radon out of the ground is spread by the furnace as it heats the upstairs. Duckworth said 88 percent of the homes show radon levels above average but not at the EPA's action level. DeKalb County homes make good radon case studies because they are in a region rated by the EPA as exceeding maximum safe radon emission levels, she said.
Radon is a colorless, odorless, radioactive gas produced as a result of radium decay.
In its decayed state, radon can be inhaled into the lungs and possibly cause lung damage and cancer. When Duckworth's project climbs past 500 homes, it will surpass the scope of any radon test ever conducted in a single U.S. county. This is one of the largest dollar amounts ever awarded. Residents who agree to the free testing will receive detailed instructions on how to use the kits, simple devices that only need to be hung up in the home and taken down after four days. Homeowners will have complete anonymity during and after the free testing.