Radon session at Round Hill Fire Station Thursday

A session to discuss radon and its effects is 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Round Hill Fire Station.

Director of Radon at Tahoe Jeff Miner will talk about the radioactive gas, how to measure it, and ways to remove it at this week's meeting of the Tahoe Area Sierra Club.

Radon is an odorless gas formed by the radioactive decay of radium, naturally occurring in granitic rock and soils.

It is a class A carcinogen (the leading cause of lung cancer among nonsmokers) that can seep into homes through crawl spaces or slabs. Data indicates that more than half of the homes in the South Lake Tahoe, El Dorado County, Stateline and Zephyr Cove may have radon readings that are higher than the level (4 picocuries/liter) at which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency urges remedial action be taken.

For information, call Grace Anderson at (530) 577-2000 or Patricia Hickson at (530)401-1397.