THIS WEEK
- Monday, January 18
- Gordon County Extension/4-H Office Closed in Observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- Tuesday, January 19
- Senior Club (9th-12th Graders) Meeting at 5:30 p.m.
- Wednesday, January 20
- In School Programs
- Belwood Elementary 4th Grade
- In School Programs
- Thursday, January 21
- BB Team Practice
- Zoom into Science – Why Did the Turtle Cross the Road? at 4:00 p.m.
- In School Programs
- Red Bud Elementary 5th Grade
- Friday, January 22
- In School Programs
- Fairmount Elementary 4th Grade
- Red Bud Elementary 4th Grade
- In School Programs
- Saturday, January 23
- Community Kindness Club at 10 a.m.
- Livestock Judging Practice at 10 a.m.
UPCOMING DEADLINES
- 2021 Winter/Spring 4-H Schedule
- Friday, January 29
- Parent Summer Camp Survey Deadline – see this post for more details
- Sunday, January 31
- Junior/Senior District Project Achievement – Portfolios Due for 7th-12th Graders
What’s Deadly, Invisible, and Present All Over?
UGA Radon Program Urges Georgians to Test for Radon this January
As it is every year, January is national radon action month. This year feels different. Many of us are spending more time at home to keep each other safe and focus on our health. This makes it even more important that we test our homes for radon, a colorless, odorless gas that is the second leading cause of lung cancer.
In Gordon County, about 22% of homes have elevated levels of radon. Over the course of many years, exposure to this gas can cause lung cancer, even in non-smokers. In fact, radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers.
Radon is a naturally occurring gas that comes from the breakdown of uranium in soil and rock. Often granite rock naturally has high levels of uranium, which is part of why radon is such a persistent problem in Georgia. The gas seeps out of the soil and rise up through crawlspaces, foundations, and basements into a home. About 800 Georgians die annually from radon induced lung cancer.
Fortunately, testing for radon gas is simple and inexpensive. A short-term radon test is hung in the lowest level of the home for three to seven days before being mailed to the laboratory. The laboratory will then send the homeowner results after it processes the test kit. Test can be obtained from the UGA Radon Program website (radon.uga.edu) or a hardware or big box store. During the month of January, Georgians can receive $5 off their online radon test kit order at (radon.uga.edu) by using the code NRAM2021 at checkout.
If the radon level in your home is high, you can install a radon reduction system. A radon reduction (or radon mitigation) system reduces high levels of indoor radon to acceptable levels. The system most frequently used is a vent pipe system and fan that pulls radon from beneath the house and vents it to the outside.
Radon exposure from drinking water is primarily a concern in private wells. In Georgia, wells drilled into granitic crystalline rock aquifers, usually in the northern part of the state, are at risk of naturally occurring radon contamination. This is where the uranium that decays to radon can be found at higher levels. If you don’t know whether there is radon in your well water, have the water tested. The UGA Agricultural and Environmental Services Laboratories in Athens test water samples for the presence of radon. To get a water testing kit, contact your local UGA Extension office or call 1-800-ASK-UGA1.
