A local representative’s legislation intended to help homeowners detect a potentially deadly element in their home has been signed into law.
93rd District Representative Norine Hammond’s House Bill 713 was signed by Governor J.B. Pritzker on Friday, which allows the direct sale of radon detection devices that cannot be calibrated. The bill was co-sponsored by 47th District State Senator Jil Tracy of Quincy in the senior chamber.
Previously, only devices that are calibrated could be sold in stores. The law does not change any regulations for professionals who test for radon or the instruments they use. According to the Journal Courier, the law was an initiative backed by the Illinois Manufacturer’s Association.
Hammond said in a press release on her website that technology of the devices had surpassed current law and it will now allow homeowners to purchase the potentially life-saving devices in stores.
Radon is a radioactive element that is part of the radioactive decay chain of naturally occurring uranium in soil. Exposure to radon has been linked in various studies to increases in lung cancer. The law takes effect immediately.