EDO-2024-000016

NEWS RELEASE
Sept.14,2021
CONTACT
Matt McPherson
DEQ Public Information Officer
[e-mail],385 245 4603
Utah Students Challenged to Raise Awareness of Radon in Utah
1 in 3 Utah Homes Found to Have Unsafe Levels of Radon
Utah students are invited to get creative and bring awareness of radon in Utah by participating
in the 2021 National Radon Poster Contest.The Utah Department of Environmental Quality’s
DEQ)Radon Program is coordinating this year’s contest in partnership with the Center for
Disease Control Epidemiology Tracking Program,local health departments and the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency EPA).State contest winners will receive cash awards,with
three first place winners receiving 100 and their teacher receiving 100.Second and third
place winners also will receive 100 each.
CONTEST DETAILS
Posters must be postmarked by Oct.22,2021
Students ages 9 18 enrolled in a public,private,territorial,tribal,Department of
Defense or home school are eligible to participate
There are three categories:Grades 4 6,7 9,and 10 12.
Members of a sponsoring club,such as a scouting organization or an art,computer,
science or 4 H club also are eligible.
There is no entry fee,but only one entry per student is allowed.
Poster contest submission forms,topics and rules may be found online at
radon.utah.gov.
The public is invited to judge this year’s state posters by voting online at www.radon.utah.gov.
Online voting runs from Nov.5 15.All posters will be subject to the following judging criteria:
Content accuracy,visual communication of topic,reproducibility and originality.Winners will
be announced on Nov.30.
WHAT IS RADON?
Radon is known as the slow,silent killer.”You can’t smell it,taste it,or see it,but it’s the 1
cause of lung cancer death for non smokers.Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in
Utah,even though we have the lowest smoking rate in the nation.
Radon is a radioactive gas that occurs naturally in the ground that can only be detected by
testing.In Utah,1 in 3 homes that were tested have radon levels higher than what are
considered safe for humans.
Radon is measured in units called picocuries.Anything higher than 4 picocuries is not
considered safe.The average radon level in Utah homes that have been tested was 5.3
picocuries.According to the EPA,every 10 picocuries is the same as smoking a pack of
cigarettes a day.
More information about contest eligibility,radon test kits,and radon contractors is available at
www.radon.utah.gov or by calling Utah’s Radon Hotline at 1 800 458 0145.