(Radio Iowa) – Scholarships are now available for Iowans who complete the training for radon detection certification — and agree to work in rural Iowa. Radon is an odorless, colorless gas that’s the leading cause of lung cancer among Iowans who do not smoke. When radon test kits reveal a home or building has elevated levels of radon, certified radon mitigation and measurement specialists use equipment to get more precise readings and offer guidance about mitigation options.
Teri Bos is Director of Community Health Services at Community Health Partners Sioux County, one of the 67 agencies promoting the scholarship program. “Anybody can apply,” Bos said. “It may be somebody from the construction field — HVAC, building design, environmental health, plumbing.” There’s a 750 dollar scholarship for a radon mitigation specialist and a 600 dollar scholarship for a radon measurement specialist.
“A certified radon mitigator or a certified radon measurement specialist…they’ll bring equipment in, set it up for several days and get a reading on it,” Bos said. The online form for a scholarship asks if the applicant will commit to serving rural Iowa communities for a minimum of five years as a condition of receiving the funds.
The online courses will originate from Kansas State University and the scholarships will be awarded AFTER someone passes the certification test. There’s no indication of how many scholarships are available.
