UPDATE: As of Monday, Jan. 7, the state said it had exhausted its budget and was out of free kits. Kits are still available for purchase at a discount.
DENVER — January is National Radon Action Month and the State of Colorado is offering free kits so homeowners can test their homes for the cancer-causing gas.
Radon is a naturally-occurring radioactive gas that comes from soil. It’s odorless and colorless, so unless you test for it, there’s no way of knowing if the gas is entering your home.
About half of Colorado homes have radon levels that exceed federal recommendations and the gas is responsible for an estimated 500 lung cancer deaths every year in the state, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
The U.S. Surgeon General lists radon as the second leading cause of lung cancer behind smoking.
During the month of January, CDPHE is offering free radon testing kits in both English and Spanish.
To order a kit or for more information on testing for radon, visit colorado.gov/cdphe.
