January is National Radon Action Month, and University of Nevada Cooperative Extension's Radon Education Program is offering educational presentations at various locations across the state. Free test kits for homes will also be available at the presentations.

Radon is a radioactive, colorless, odorless and tasteless gas that comes from the ground. It accumulates in homes and can cause lung cancer. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates 21,000 Americans die each year from radon-caused lung cancer, killing more people than secondhand smoke, drunk driving, falls in the home, drowning or house fires.

Radon-caused lung cancer is preventable. A simple three-day test can determine if a house has a radon problem, and winter is an ideal time to test a home for radon. If radon problems are found, they can be fixed. Find out more and get a free test kit at a presentation in your community:

 Scheduled presentations for Reno, Sparks, Carson, Incline Village and Douglas County are:
- Jan. 4 - Downtown Reno Library, 301 S. Center St., Reno, at 2:30 p.m.
- Jan. 6 - Sparks Library, 1125 12th St., Sparks, at 2 p.m.
- Jan. 8 - Sierra View Library, 4001 S. Virginia St., Reno, at 3:30 p.m.
- Jan. 13 - Washoe County Cooperative Extension, 4955 Energy Way, Reno, at 6 p.m.
- Jan. 14 - South Valleys Library, 15650A Wedge Parkway, Reno, at 6 p.m.
- Jan. 15 - Kahle Community Center, 236 Kingsbury Grade, Stateline, at 6 p.m.
- Jan. 17 - Northwest Reno Library, 2325 Robb Drive, Reno, at 10 a.m.
- Jan. 20 - Spanish Springs Library, 7100A Pyramid Lake Highway, Sparks, at 5:30 p.m.
- Jan. 21 - North Valleys Library, 1075 N. Hills Blvd. #340, Reno, at 6 p.m.
- Jan. 27 - Carson City Senior Center, 901 Beverly Drive, Carson City, at 6 p.m.
- Jan. 29 - CVIC Hall, 1604 Esmeralda Ave., Minden, at 6 p.m.
- Feb. 4 - Incline Village GID Public Works, 1220 Sweetwater Road, Incline Village, at 6 p.m.

 Scheduled presentations for Las Vegas are:
- Feb. 7 - West Charleston Library, 6301 W. Charleston Blvd., at 10:30 a.m.
- Feb. 7 - Spring Valley Library, 4280 S. Jones Blvd., at 3 p.m.,
- Feb. 8 - Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, at 1 p.m.
- Feb. 9 - Windmill Library, 7060 W. Windmill Lane, at 1 p.m.
- Feb. 9 - Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road., at 6 p.m.

Scheduled presentations in other communities are:
- Jan. 6 - Great Basin College, 1500 College Parkway, Health Science Building, Room 108, Elko, at noon
- Jan. 7 - Churchill County Multi-purpose Building, 225 Sheckler Road, Fallon, at 1 p.m.
- Jan. 12 - Pershing County Community Center, 820 Sixth St., Lovelock, at 6 p.m. 
- Jan. 26 - Grass Valley Community Center, 13295 Grass Valley Road, Winnemucca, at 7 p.m.
- Feb. 10 - S. Nye County Cooperative Extension, 1651 E. Calvada Blvd., Pahrump, at 5:30 p.m.

For those who cannot attend a presentation, free radon test kits will also be available through Feb. 28 at University of Nevada Cooperative Extension offices and partner offices statewide. In Nevada, one in four homes already tested have shown radon concentrations at or above the EPA action level. According to experts, living in a home with radon concentrations at the action level poses as much risk of developing lung cancer as smoking half a pack of cigarettes a day.

The Nevada Radon Education Program is a program of University of Nevada Cooperative Extension and is funded by the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health. Since the program began in 2007, more than 36,000 radon test kits have been distributed and more than 18,000 homes have been tested.

Cooperative Extension, the EPA and the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health urge all Nevadans to get their homes tested for radon. For more information, visit the Nevada Radon Education Program website at www.RadonNV.com, call the Radon Hotline at 888-RADON10 (888-723-6610).