ST. PAUL – Janet Thompson was being treated for terminal lung cancer, but her thoughts were about others.
She lobbied people she saw to check their homes for radon, a colorless and odorless radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer.
Now, her sister has taken up the cause. Lori Thompson-Garry told a House committee Wednesday that she backs a bill that would require a radon test when a house goes on the market.
“Lung cancer is very silent,” said Thompson-Garry of Eagan. “She had no symptoms.”
Thompson, who had lived in Glenwood, died last September at 49, two years after being diagnosed. In those two years, Thompson-Garry said, her sister told those giving her medical tests – and anyone else she could – that radon tests are important.
Rep. Paul Anderson, R-Starbuck, said he wants to raise awareness of radon risks. He said he does not expect the bill to pass this year but eventually it will be state law.