RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — State leaders are sending 3,000 free radon test kits to North Carolinians who sign up for them.
The state Department of Health and Human Resources on Tuesday debuted a website where people can request a test kit.
Gov. Roy Cooper proclaimed January as National Radon Action Month to make people aware that the odorless, colorless gas is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers.
The cancer risk for current and former smokers is 10 times higher if they live in a home with elevated radon, NCDHHS says.
It can become trapped in homes and accumulate to reach harmful levels.
About 450 people die each year in North Carolina because of radon-induced lung cancer, NCDHHS says.
