Homeowners and renters across the state would be able to order free radon test kits online under a bill advancing in the Iowa House.
The bill would set aside $20,000 for the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services to pay for the kits. Iowa HHS partnered with the American Lung Association last month to provide free test kits, but ran out of kits and money.
Rep. Hans Wilz, R-Ottumwa, says the bill needs to make accessing test kits simple.
“I want to emphasize, go to the website and make it easy. We want people to be able to access these test kits, be able to understand and how to use them, as well.”
Last year the House reviewed a similar bill but it didn’t advance.
All Iowa counties have been designated as zone 1 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, meaning they have the highest potential for high indoor radon levels.
The EPA says radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking and the leading cause of lung cancer among nonsmokers.