IEMA, American Lung Association Announce Winners in Student Video, Poster Contests

SPRINGFIELD – Hundreds of students from across the state recently used their creative talents to increase public awareness about the hazards of radioactive radon gas in homes. Nearly 500 posters and 236 one-minute YouTube videos were submitted to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and the American Lung Association in Illinois (ALA-IL) for consideration in the annual contests.

“Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. and the leading cause of lung cancer for non-smokers,” said IEMA Director James K. Joseph. “These wonderfully creative posters and videos are great new tools to help us educate people throughout Illinois about radon’s hazards and the need to test their homes.”

The winning entries are available on the IEMA Radon website at www.radon.illinois.gov and on the ALA-IL website at http://healthhouse.org/radon/il.cfm.  

Poster contest winners and their prizes include:

• 1st place – Ally Abel, Byron Middle School, Byron, $200
• 2nd place – Stefania Dembereckyj, St. Nicholas Cathedral School, Chicago, $150
• 3rd place –Gabi Durkin, St. Athanasius, Evanston, $100

The three winning posters will compete against posters from across the country in the 2015 National Radon Poster Contest sponsored by the Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors. 

Video contest winners include:

• 1st place – Oswego East High School, Oswego ($1,000 to winning student plus $300 for the high school)
• 2nd place – Wheaton Academy, West Chicago ($750 prize to winning student group, $200 to the high school)
• 3rd place – Hinsdale South High School, Darien ($500 prize to winning student group plus $100 for the high school)

In addition, seven videos received honorable mention.  A $250 prize will be awarded for each of the following entries:

• Barrington High School, Barrington
• Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, Aurora
• O’Fallon Township High School, O’Fallon
• Schaumburg High School, Schaumburg
• Southeast High School, Springfield
• St. Teresa High School, Decatur
• Wheaton Academy, West Chicago

The prize money for all winners was provided by the ALA-IL. 

“It is estimated that approximately 21,000 deaths in the U.S. each year are caused each year by radon-induced lung cancer,” said Angela Tin, vice president of environmental health for the American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest. “Radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer, but it can be prevented by testing your home and installing a radon reduction system if levels are too high.” 

Radon is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas that comes from the radioactive decay of naturally-occurring uranium in the soil. It can enter homes and buildings through small cracks in the foundation, sump pumps or soil in crawlspaces. Approximately 1,200 people in Illinois die each year from radon-related lung cancer.