The Colorado State University Cooperative Extension office in Durango will hold educational workshops January through March about the danger of radon gas.
Dates and times for the workshops will be announced later.
Wendy Rice, the family and consumer agent at the Durango extension office, will lead the workshops. She will have free short- and long-term radon detection kits while they last.
Radon, a colorless, odorless gas produced by the decay of uranium in rocks, is found at high levels in La Plata County. Radon is the No. 1 cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers and the No. 2 cause of cancer overall in the United States.
More than 500 people die annually in Colorado from radon-induced cancer.
Radon seeps into houses through cracks in the foundation or crawl space.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends mitigation when 4 picocuries of radon are recorded, Rice said. Many places in La Plata County have radon readings greater than 6 picocuries, Rice said.
