Elmwood, Nebraska, Community E-News "Growing Together" January 17, 2007, 7th Ed.

January is National Radon Action Month

Radon is an invisible, odorless gas. It comes from the decay of
naturally occurring uranium in the earth's soil and can accumulate
indoors to dangerous levels.

The Environmental Protection Association (EPA) estimates
approximately 21,000 deaths each year are related to lung cancer
caused by dangerously high levels of exposure to radon.

Winter months allow radon levels to increase inside of homes. Families are spending more time indoors with windows and doors shut tight in which levels of radon can accumulate above acceptable levels.

There are simple do-it-yourself test kits to measure radon levels. SEE RED BOX!

If your home tests above the normal (acceptable level), there are several things homeowners can do, but trained professionals can determine the best methods.

• Seal cracks in your basement.
• Increase the ventilation in your home. (However, if this is done improperly, you can actually increase the amount of radon entering your home!)
• Furnaces, water heaters, clothes dryers, etc., should have their own source of intake.
• The most effective method is changing the ventilation underneath the home by installing a fan driven system to remove the radon from below your house before it has a chance to enter in the first place. Call a professional!

After mentioning alternative heating in the winter emergency checklist last week, I’d like to also point out a hidden danger associated with alternative heating AND your household furnace. It’s called Carbon Monoxide (CO) Poisoning.

Carbon Monoxide is commonly called the “silent killer” because none of your senses can detect it. It’s colorless, odorless, and you can’t taste it. Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning kills approximately 300 people each year in their homes. CO is a deadly gas that is produced by fuel-burning heating equipment, such as your furnace, wood stove, kerosene heater, and fireplace.

• Install a CO alarm near or in your sleeping areas.
• Have a trained professional inspect, clean, and tune-up your central heating system annually.
• Fireplaces and wood stoves should also be cleaned (chimney/flue) annually.
• Never use an oven or range to alternatively heat your home.
• Never use a gas or charcoal grill inside your home or in a closed garage.

Winter Safety for your Animals

• Try to keep pets indoors when the temperatures are really cold. Pets suffer from hypothermia (loss of body heat) too!
• Make sure your pet(s) has an identification tag and dogs have current rabies tag.
• If you treat your sidewalks or walk your pets on sidewalks that have been treated with a de-icer, wash the dogs paws off afterwards as de-icers can irritate the skin.
• Pets that have to be left outdoors need to have shelter that will stay dry and if possible line with a blanket.
• Extra food is a necessity to have the proper nutrition for extra body warmth.
• Water is a necessity and it should be fresh, clean, and not frozen over.
• Brush their coat often to prevent moisture from collecting. Wet pets will likely suffer from hypothermia.

The air is crisp and cool. The outside is crunchy. I can see my breath! The air is filled with the pleasant aroma of burning wood from fireplaces and wood stoves. And it amazes me how the publishers know just when to send me those Spring garden magazines. …..it’s time to relax and curl up in the recliner with a hot cup of cocoa and leaf through these magazines….planning for the warmer days ahead to be back out in my yard……..

You can grab a cup of coffee or cocoa too and kick back and visit the Elmwood website! www.elmwoodnebraska.com Click on the “Business” link and see what we have to offer. Read the “Classifieds” and check out the “Links” to other interesting places and sites!

Gina Fahrenholz
Editor@ElmwoodNebraska.com
Please send info for the next newsletter no later than Sunday January 14th.