By Illinois Public Radio/KWMU/AP
Springfield, lll. – Officials in Illinois are urging homeowners to test for radon.
That's because a two-year study by the state's Emergency Management Agency found nearly half of the homes tested had unsafe levels of the odorless, tasteless, and colorless gas. It also says many people aren't aware of the problem.
IEMA says half of 22,000 homes tested were found to have unsafe levels of radon in the study conducted in 2003 and 2004. More than 20 counties were found to have a significant portion of homes with unsafe levels of radon.
But in 80 counties, there were no tests performed or too few professional tests to provide accurate analysis for those areas.
State officials urge people to test their homes with kits from local stores or by hiring licensed contractors to do the work. The state also has some kits available for free, by calling 1-800-325-1245.
LOCAL FIGURES
In St. Clair County, between 25-50% of the homes tested in St. Clair County had unsafe levels. That's the second of three groupings for counties. Madison County faired better, with less than 25% testing at unsafe levels.
There were too few tests in Macoupin and Monroe counties to say for sure.