Lung Association Announces Student Winners of Annual Iowa Radon Poster, Video Contest

Lung Cancer Awareness Month is underway, and the American Lung Association and the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services are applauding the winners of the 2024 Iowa Radon Poster and Video Contest. The yearly contest raises awareness of radon gas, the second leading cause of lung cancer deaths.

Middle and high school students across Iowa were eligible to participate in the poster and video contests.

This year’s winners are:

The 2024 poster winners and their prizes include:

• 1st place – Scarlett S. – Parkview Middle School, Ankeny, $200
• 2nd place – Zayli B.– Parkview Middle School, Ames $150
• 3rd place – Parker F. – Prairie Ridge Middle School, Ames, $100

The 2024 video winners and their prize include:

• 1^st place – Luke L. – Le Mars Community High School, $600
• 2^nd place – Talisa R. - Cedar Falls High School, $166.67
• 2^nd place – Grayson M. – Cedar Falls High School, $166.67
• 2^nd place – Sophia D. – Cedar Falls High School - $166.67
• 3^rd place – Ella G. – Ames High School, $400

"It’s amazing to see the creativity and awareness the children use to highlight the dangers or radon in their communities," said Jill Heins, Senior Director Nationwide, Health Systems Improvement and Indoor Air Quality at the Lung Association. “Radon causes 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year and the only way to know if your home has high levels of it, is to test." 

Radon gas is formed underground. It is a naturally occurring, colorless, odorless, tasteless, radioactive gas created by the breakdown of uranium in rock and soil. It is found in all 50 states and may enter a home through cracks and other openings in a home. Radon can build up to dangerous levels and is only detectable by performing a home test.

The Environmental Protection Agency recommends all homes with radon levels at or equal to 4 picocuries per liter install a radon mitigation system.

"All Iowans are encouraged to test their home or building for radon,” said Randy Lane, Radon Program Coordinator for the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. “Testing data shows there’s nowhere in the state where a home or building that’s safe from potentially having a radon level above 4 pCi/L."

This year’s winners were selected by the Lung Association and the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. The next poster contest begins on January 1, 2025, and students have until March 15, 2025, to submit their entries.

For questions about radon or to test your home, visit Lung.org/radon or contact the Lung Association at 1-800-325-1245.

For more information on the poster and video contest please contact Janye Killelea via email at [email protected] or call (312) 940-7624.