Franklin Park residents will be receiving a letter in the mail during the coming weeks informing them that several homes in the borough have experienced high levels of the potentially deadly gas radon, including at least one with a reading 25-times higher than the government recommends.
The letter dated Jan. 25 informs residents that they can obtain free radon testing kits that will be paid for with a state grant awarded to the American Lung Association in Pennsylvania.
Radon is a naturally occurring, odorless, invisible radioactive gas that causes an estimated 21,000 lung cancer deaths nationwide each year, according the the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Any structure in contact with the ground can experience problems with radon, which can only be detected through testing, according to environmental officials.
State regulators say Pennsylvania has some of the the highest radon levels in the nation and “this particular area (Franklin Park) has radon values above the average” for the state, according to the letter.
Tony LaRussa is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tony at 724-772-6368 or tlarussa@tribweb.com or via Twitter @TonyLaRussaTrib.
