October 17th – 24th has been designated as “Radon Awareness Week” in the U.S. by the Federal Government. Radon gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. The U.S. government has has known of this deadly household problem for over two decades. In fact, Ronald Regan passed the National Indoor Radon Abatement Act back in 1988 to address the problem. Despite over 22,000 lung cancer deaths that have occurred every year since the act was passed, it wasn’t until this year that the government actually put a plan of action into place!

On June 20th, 2011; the United States government passed the Federal Radon Action Plan. The plan calls for several branches of the U.S. government to implement programs to reduce the risk of lung cancer to the American public in their homes and workplaces. Among the government sectors called to action are U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the General Services Administration, and the departments of Agriculture, Defense, Energy, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Interior, and Veterans Affairs.