Telling the story of radon and its risks

Video, poster contests for Wyoming students to highlight radon

Posted 10/23/20

The Wyoming Department of Health is encouraging Cowboy State students to enter a new video contest or this year’s poster contest aimed at highlighting radon information and encouraging testing.

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in

Telling the story of radon and its risks

Video, poster contests for Wyoming students to highlight radon

Posted

The Wyoming Department of Health is encouraging Cowboy State students to enter a new video contest or this year’s poster contest aimed at highlighting radon information and encouraging testing.

Radon is an invisible, odorless, tasteless radioactive gas found in the soil that can sometimes reach dangerous levels in homes.

“While all homes have radon, higher levels of radon can mean a health concern linked to lung cancer,” said Star Jones, Wyoming Cancer Program manager with the Department of Health.

“We are asking Wyoming’s youth to use their creativity to help us tell the story of radon and its risks,” Jones said.

The new video contest is open to students in grades nine through 12. Video entries will be uploaded to YouTube. The top three videos chosen by judges will receive money prizes, and the video with the most views will also receive a prize.

Poster contest entries will be divided into one group for grades three through six, and another for grades seven through nine. The top two winners in each group will receive money prizes, as will the classrooms of the winning students.

Complete rules and important details about what’s required for submitting entries for either contest can be found at health.wyo.gov/radon. Information can also be found about radon and its risks in Wyoming.

The deadline for both contests is Nov. 6.

Jones said the winning videos and posters will be used to help promote radon awareness month, which occurs each January.

Questions about the video and poster contests may be directed to Jones at star.jones@wyo.gov.

    

Free radon test kits available to Wyoming residents

The Wyoming Department of Health is offering free home radon test kits, while supplies last. Homeowners must live in Wyoming to receive a free kit.

Test kits should be used in the lowest livable level of the home (crawl spaces not included) and placed in a central location. Test kits should not be placed next to windows, vents or any area that could cause a draft around the test kit, which could affect the results.

Kits should also be placed in a manner to prevent them from being kicked, bumped or disturbed. Once complete, follow the instructions on the test kit to send it to the laboratory directly.

Test kits can be ordered online (limit one per order) through the department’s partner, Alpha Energy Laboratories. Visit https://tinyurl.com/yy3nalb3 to order a free test kit.

For questions or more information — or if more than one test kit is needed — contact the Wyoming Radon Program at 307-777-6015.

If the test kit finds elevated radon levels in your home, see “Find a radon service provider” on the Department of Health’s website at https://health.wyo.gov/publichealth/prevention/cancer/radon/. These services are relatively simple and can usually be completed in about a day, providing an immediate reduction in radon levels, the department said.

Comments