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Shelton youth wins state poster contest

Ten-year-old Lin Spichiger of Shelton is the winner of the state Department of Health's 2024 Northwest Radon Poster Contest.

According to a news release, the contest is an opportunity for youths ages 9 to 14 to creatively raise awareness of the harmful effects of elevated indoor radon levels and promote testing and mitigation of radon gas.

"We appreciate each student who participated," Gary Garrety, the radon program director for DOH, said in the release. "Special thanks to the teachers, youth groups and families who supported their youth's participation."

A team of radon specialists evaluated the poster submissions for accuracy, reproductibility, visual communication and originally. Spichiger's poster, and the first-place poster from the other states, will be submitted to the 2025 National Radon Poster Contest.

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that is invisible, odorless and tasteless. It comes from the radioactive decay of radium, an element found in most rocks and soils. Radon can enter a building from the ground underneath it and concentrate to tens or even hundreds of times the level in the outdoor air.

According to the state, radon is the leading cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers, causing about 20,000 deaths each year nationwide.

Author Bio

Gordon Weeks, Reporter

Shelton-Mason County Journal & Belfair Herald

 

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