Contact Information: Shannan Beisser, beisser.shannan@epa.gov, 816-520-1949

LENEXA, KAN. (OCT. 18, 2024) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a total of $1 million in awards to six recipients to address asthma, radon, and other indoor air health risks, including $175,000 to Kansas State University.

These cooperative agreements will advance national policy and systems-level change to reduce indoor air risks and yield measurable environmental and public health benefits.

“With this funding, Kansas State University will continue their important work operating a national radon hotline and a website where affordable radon test kits can be purchased,” said EPA Region 7 Administrator Meg McCollister. “Radon can’t be seen or smelled. It is essential that we test our homes for this leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers, especially considering that many homes in our region have a high potential for elevated radon levels.”

Kansas State University will work to reduce lung cancer deaths by supporting radon testing and mitigation. This includes operating the national hotline and website; conducting performance assessments of common consumer-grade digital radon monitors; selling radon test kits; and working to increase the number of credentialed radon professionals.

Americans spend up to 90% of their time indoors, making indoor air quality a critical public health issue. For example, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States and asthma affects 25 million Americans, including nearly 5 million children, with poor and minority children suffering a greater burden of the disease.

These new awards will help efforts to:

• Prevent lung cancer by promoting testing and fixing homes, schools, and other buildings with elevated radon levels.
• Prevent asthma attacks, emergency room visits, and other poor asthma health outcomes by supporting delivery, infrastructure, and sustainability of environmental asthma interventions at home and school, with a focus on disproportionately impacted populations.
• Prevent other indoor air problems and associated poor health outcomes through expanded support of state and local efforts to improve indoor air quality by promoting best practices and policies.

Other organizations that were awarded $175,000 each for the first year of the three-year cooperative agreements include:

• American Lung Association
• Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors
• Public Health Institute
• National Center for Healthy Housing
• Environmental Law Institute

Learn more about radon, asthma, and indoor air quality.

Background

Most homes throughout EPA Region 7 are located in areas designated as EPA Radon Zone One or Two, indicating high or moderate potential for elevated radon levels. EPA Region 7 encompasses Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and nine tribal nations.

A map of EPA Radon Zones was developed in 1993 to identify areas of the U.S. with the greatest potential for elevated indoor radon levels, based on indoor radon measurement data, geology, aerial radioactivity, soil parameters, and foundation types. To view EPA maps of Radon Zones in your state, visit EPA’s website.

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Learn more about EPA Region 7
Visit the Region 7 Media page