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National Safety Council Names Winners of Radon Poster Contest

Sunday, December 23, 2007 General News
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Held with U.S. EPA, National Contest Urges Young People to Promote Home Safety



ITASCA, Ill., Dec. 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Safety Council has named the winners of its 2008 National Radon Poster Contest, conducted in partnership with the United States Environmental Protection Agency. First-place winner is Sara Garcia, an eighth grader at Hollywood Academy of Arts & Science in Hollywood, Florida; second-place winner is Daniel Carr, a sixth grader at Carr Homeschool in Tampa, Florida; and third-place winner is Jill Bisig, an eighth grader at Guthrie Junior High School in Guthrie, Oklahoma.
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The contest is an activity of National Radon Action Month, sponsored each January by the Council and the EPA to increase public awareness of radon. The winning poster will be displayed as part of this campaign, to raise awareness about the dangers of radon gas and encourage more people to test their homes for it, said Donna Stein-Harris, executive director of National Safety Council's Home & Community Partnerships and Initiative.
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The EPA estimates that radon causes about 20,000 deaths from lung cancer in the U.S. every year, Stein-Harris said. Colorless, odorless and tasteless, radon is the nation's second leading cause of lung cancer after cigarette smoking and the number one cause of lung cancer in non-smokers, according to the U.S. Surgeon General.



"Nearly one out of every 15 American homes has a radon level the EPA considers to be elevated. Because most people spend as much as 90 percent of their time indoors, indoor exposure to radon is an important concern," Stein-Harris said.



The Council will honor the national poster contest winners at the EPA's Radon Awards and Recognition Ceremony, Jan. 10 in Washington, D.C. National and state-level winning posters can be viewed on the Council's Web site, http://www.nsc.org/issues/radon/poster_winners.htm.



Testing for Radon

Found in all 50 states, radon is a naturally formed radioactive gas produced by decay of uranium in rock, soil and water. The Surgeon General recommends that all homes, schools and other buildings be tested for the gas, which can seep into buildings through cracks and other openings.



To purchase a test kit or learn more about radon, call the National Safety Council's National Radon Helpline at (800) 55-RADON (557-2366) or visit the Council's Web site at www.nsc.org/issues/radon.



The National Safety Council (http://www.nsc.org) is a nonprofit, nongovernmental, public service organization. Members of the NSC include businesses, labor organizations, schools, public agencies, private groups and individuals. Founded in 1913 and chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1953, the National Safety Council is committed to preventing accidental injuries in the workplace, on roads and highways, and in homes and communities.





SOURCE National Safety Council
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