To raise awareness about radon, the Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities, the Johnson County Public Health Department, and the City of Iowa City have partnered with Dr. Shelly Campo’s “Health Communication Campaigns” class at the University of Iowa’s College of Public Health.

The class is comprised of three groups of students each working on designing and implementing a different intervention campaign related to radon, which is an odorless, colorless, radioactive gas found naturally in the soil in Iowa.  It is the second leading cause of lung cancer behind smoking, and it is the leading cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers.

One student group, consisting of Taharat Khan, Joanna Krajewski, Amy Schumacher, Blake Smith, and Greg Woods, will staff a booth at the Iowa City Downtown Farmers Market on Saturday, May 2, from 7 a.m. to noon. The market is located in the Chauncey Swan Parking Ramp, 400 block of Washington St. The group will be selling radon test kits for $5 each. They will also have educational handouts, do-it-yourself mitigation guides (for those who wish to install radon-clearing fans themselves), and answer questions about radon. 

Students will also be at the Iowa City Public Library on May 2 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in front of Room C to explain their project’s goals and objectives and answer any questions about radon.

Radon gas rises from the soil and can enter homes through cracks in basement floors and walls. Radon testing is a cheap and easy way to keep your home safe.  Visit www.epa.gov/radon for more information.