The Faribault area is a hotbed for radon gas, which can lead to lung cancer.

Rice County Public Health Clinic and Community Supervisor Sara Coulter and Minnesota Department of Health Indoor Air Unit Environmental Health Supervisor Dan Tranter will be guests on today's AM Minnesota program at 9:30AM.

January is actually radon action month, but we wanted Tranter to join us and this date worked for him. He has been on our program many times over the years but in the past always on the telephone. He is scheduled to be in studio today.

Radon is a colorless, odorless radioactive gas that seeps from the Earth. Long-term exposure to radon can lead to lung cancer. In fact, more than 21,000 lung cancer deaths in the U.S. each year are from radon, making it a serious health concern for all Minnesotans.

Radon comes from the soil and is produced from the natural decay of uranium, which is found in nearly all soils. Uranium breaks down to radium, if you remember your chemistry.  As radium disintegrates, it turns into radioactive gas.

Radon is the No. 1 cause of lung cancer among non-smokers and the second leading cause of lung cancer (behind tobacco) in smokers.

I hope you will tune in or check out the program later on our YouTube channel.

The picture below shows the pathways radon takes into our homes.

Radon Pathways
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