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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION 816

 
2     WHEREAS, Radon is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless
3 radioactive gas that comes from the radioactive decay of
4 naturally-occurring uranium in the soil; and
 
5     WHEREAS, The United States Surgeon General issued a Health
6 Advisory warning Americans that indoor radon is the
7 second-leading cause of lung cancer in the United States and
8 that breathing radon over prolonged periods can present a
9 significant health risk to families; and
 
10     WHEREAS, The Illinois Radon Awareness Act requires sellers
11 to provide anyone buying a home, condominium, or other
12 residential property in Illinois with information about indoor
13 radon exposure and how radon is the leading cause of lung
14 cancer in non-smokers; and
 
15     WHEREAS, The United States Environmental Protection Agency
16 has estimated that the number of annual lung cancer deaths
17 related to radon is 21,000; an estimated 1,160 Illinois
18 citizens may develop radon-related lung cancer every year; and
 
19     WHEREAS, In accordance with our commitment to protecting
20 the citizens of Illinois from the health risks associated with
21 radon, the month of January 2008 was designated "Radon Action

 

 

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1 Month" by the Governor; and
 
2     WHEREAS, Over 50,000 measurements have been taken in the
3 State of Illinois since 2002, with homes exceeding the EPA's
4 Radon Action Level of 4.0 pCi/L being corrected; the State of
5 Illinois and the American Lung Association of Illinois
6 encourages all citizens to test their homes every 2 years; and
 
7     WHEREAS, The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and
8 the American Lung Association of Illinois are partnering to
9 provide radon information and guidance to the citizens of
10 Illinois in testing their homes to find out how much radon they
11 might be breathing; and
 
12     WHEREAS, The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, the
13 American Lung Association of Illinois, the University of
14 Illinois Extension Office, the Respiratory Health Association
15 of Metropolitan Chicago, and the United States Environmental
16 Protection Agency are sponsoring video and poster contests for
17 students to increase public awareness of radon and to encourage
18 people to test their homes; therefore, be it
 
19     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
20 NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
21 designate January of 2011 as "Radon Action Month" in the State
22 of Illinois in order to raise awareness of radon and its

 

 

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1 effects on families in the State of Illinois and the nation at
2 large; and be it further
 
3     RESOLVED, That we urge the citizens of this State to
4 regularly test their homes for radon and reduce their risk of
5 developing lung cancer by taking corrective action when
6 necessary.