Winter is ideal for testing your home for radon

Boulder County Public Health (BCPH) urges the community to test their homes for radon, a radioactive gas that is invisible, odorless and the second leading cause of lung cancer. Radon forms naturally from uranium and radium in the soil and can seep into homes through cracks in floors, walls and foundations. When trapped indoors, it can build up to dangerous levels, increasing the risk of lung cancer. In Colorado, radon exposure causes about 500 lung cancer deaths each year.

In Boulder County, around 50% of homes — roughly one out of every two — have elevated radon levels, compared to just 6% nationwide. The average radon level in Colorado homes exceeds the EPA safety guideline of 4.0 pCi/L. Breathing radon at that level is like smoking eight cigarettes a day.

Colorado has elevated radon levels because much of the area sits on granite and sedimentary rock rich in uranium. As uranium breaks down in the bedrock and soil, it releases radon gas, which seeps into homes.

This January — National Radon Action Month — is the perfect time to test your home. Winter is ideal for testing since windows are closed and we spend more time indoors. Testing is simple and affordable, and if elevated levels are discovered, they are easy to fix with a radon mitigation system. These systems can effectively reduce radon levels and help protect your family’s health.

Affordable test kits are available locally at ReSource Central (resourcecentral.org) or online at sosradon.org. Kits can also be found at hardware and home improvement stores. If you already have a mitigation system, remember to test every two years to ensure it’s working properly.

For more information, visit www.boco.org/radon or email BCPH at HealthRadon@bouldercounty.gov.

— Patty Dooley-Strappelli, Boulder County Public Health, Boulder

Socialization deficits challenge our youth

Social skills are tools that we use to interact with and understand others in our social environment. Unlike “abilities”, which we are born with, “skills” can only be learned through practice. As a consequence of the COVID crisis and an ever-increasing dependence on social media, children and adolescents have become severely limited in their opportunities for face-to-face social interaction. Effective social skills are necessary for positive emotional adjustment and success in life. Not surprisingly, research shows that people with poor social skills have more problems in school, at home, at work and with the legal system.

The Parent Engagement Network, in partnership with Boulder Psychological Services, will be offering a free event for parents entitled “Social Competency: Strengthening Social Skills in Children and Adolescents” on Tuesday, January 14, from 6:00-7:30 p.m. at Angevine Middle School in Lafayette. Developmentally, social anxiety can often peak in middle school. Learn why social skills correlate with success in life and how to help your child become more socially competent. There will also be information provided for low-cost social skills groups for middle schoolers. To register for this free event, go to: https://www.boulderpsychologicalservices.com/events.

— Dr. Jan Hittelman, Boulder

The most unpatriotic action in American history

Four years ago on January 6, I was home nursing a fever. Lying on the couch and gazing at the television. Mid-morning all shows were interrupted for Trump’s speech and his demand that a mob go to our Capitol and fight like hell to stop certification of the vote that he lost. He demanded to keep power at all costs. His cult of followers did exactly as he demanded. They built gallows for assassinations and beat police with American flag poles. Police were maimed and some killed as they defended Vice President Pence and Congress from assassination by Trump’s mob. Our Capitol was under siege. The vote was delayed. It was all broadcast on live television.

Only liars or fools can deny the fact that on January 6, 2021, a sitting President knowingly tried to overthrow the American government by violence. There are no excuses. We all saw it and we all know the truth. There is no way to paint this insurrectionist history over with some fake patriotic brush.

Today, four years later, I find it both sad and strangely comical when I view some of my neighbor’s houses displaying both American and Trump flags side by side.

As if their faux patriotic display somehow justifies their acceptance of likely the most unpatriotic action in American history. We are all Americans. But neighbors, you are not patriots to display Trump with our American flag. You desecrate it. America must never forget January 6, 2021, and what really happened. A tyrant triggered violence to stay in power. The most unpatriotic action in American history.

— Bill Frang, Loveland