Olympus Jr. High students sweep state radon poster contest awards

Olympus Jr. High School has an impressive track record of wins in a wide variety of state and national contests, but this time they've outdone themselves.

OJH students hold all three top spots in the state level of the 2012 National Radon Poster Contest. For their excellently drawn posters warning people about the dangers of radon poisoning, Anna Pinnock won first place in the contest, Maren Maxfield took second and Spencer Bickel came in thirrd.

"I was just thrilled [that they won]," said Olympus Jr. science teacher JoAnn Brown, who coordinated this and many other competitions for the school. "I knew that they had done a really good job."

All three students were congratulated by Gov. Gary Herbert in a ceremony at the state capitol on Jan. 3.

The Utah Department of Environmental Quality's Radiation Control Division holds the Radon Poster Contest for the state annually to raise awareness about radon. Ninety students statewide participated this year.

"Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, causing an estimated 22,000 deaths a year," Radiation Control Division Radon Program Coordinator Christine Keyser said in a press release. "The best time to test for radon is during the winter months when your home is closed and radon levels are likely to build to their highest concentrations."

Radon is a radioactive gas that seeps into homes through cracks in floors, Brown said. It is odorless, colorless, and has no immediate symptoms, so people who have it in their homes seldom realize it. Utahns are at high to moderate risk for radon poisoning, depending on the specific areas they live in, she said.

"It could be in your own basement," eighth grader Anna Pinnock said.

Despite the significant risk, Utah is one of only six states that does not require a newly-purchased house to be tested for radon, Brown said.

However, the test is cheap and easy for home owners to do themselves. Test kits are available for $6 at radon.ut.gov or by calling 1-800- 324-5928, ext. 21 or 22. Be sure to mention on the phone that you are a Utah resident so you can get the discount price. The kit is simply a filter encased in a small box that can be hung in a basement. The filter traps radon particles present in the basement, and the entire box can be sent to a lab to be tested for the trapped radon.

Correcting a radon problem is nearly as easy as testing for it. All it requires is a "radon abatement procedure," which is really just a ventilation pipe with a fan to help clear the basement's contaminated air. Most building contractors are familiar with the procedure, and do-it-yourself videos can be found online.

"It's a really good thing to do because you save yourself from that harm," Anna said.

Even though Anna received $300 for her winning poster-making efforts, the best reward she got was knowledge, she said. Anna got her own house tested after studying radon's dangers to prepare for the contest, and now she can rest easy knowing that she and her family are safe.