By Sharon Omahen
University of Georgia
Georgia students can win a trip to Washington, D.C., and help
spread the word about the dangers of radon gas through a poster
contest offered by the National Safety Council.
Each year the NSC presents the National Radon Poster Contest in
partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the
U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Raising national awareness
“The goal of the contest is to raise awareness about the harmful
effects of elevated levels of indoor radon gas,” said Ginger
Bennett, a University of Georgia Cooperative Extension radon
educator. “The poster contest is also a way to increase the
number of homes tested for radon.”
Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United
States and the leading cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers. It is
an invisible, odorless, radioactive gas that occurs naturally in
rock and soil. It enters homes through cracks and other openings
in home foundations.
Radon kills more than 600 Georgians each year. The state is home
to the 2004 and 2005 national contest winners. In 2004, Marki
Clavert of Loganville, Ga., was the national winner in the
computer-generated category. She was then a sixth-grade 4-H’er.
In 2005, Clavert’s younger sister Abbi was named the national
winner in the same category. She was a fourth grader at the time.
Local, state winners, too
The contest is open to Georgia students ages 9 to 14.
Before the national winners can be selected, first- and
second-place local and county winners are selected in two categories,
computer-generated and hand-drawn. Two state winners and four
runners-up receive trophies and gift card prizes at an awards
ceremony presented by the Georgia Radon Education Program.
If a county doesn’t have a contest, a student may submit a poster
directly to the state for judging. The top three state posters in
each category are submitted for judging on the national level.
The national winners, their parents and sponsoring adults receive
an all-expense-paid trip to the awards ceremony in the nation’s
capital.
The winning entries are printed on posters, bookmarks and book
covers distributed nationally in Radon Action Month each January.
The deadline for the state contest is Oct. 9. For more
information on the contest and complete details on how to enter,
see the NSC Web site at www.nsc.org/issues/radon. Local and state
contest rules can be found on the Web at
www.fcs.uga.edu/ext/housing/radon.php.
