By KRWG News
Santa Fe, New Mexico – SANTA FE, N.M. (KRWG) Gov. Susana Martinez's administration says it's testing a state office building for radon and has temporarily moved several workers out of part of the building as a precaution.
The General Services Department said radon monitors were placed Monday in the Willie Ortiz Building in Santa Fe and test results should be available next week.
Until the agency can determine radon levels, four workers in the building's lower level were relocated. The State Personnel Office is housed in the building, which previously was used by the New Mexico National Guard.
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas and enters buildings through basements, crawl spaces and foundation cracks.
The National Cancer Institute says radon is associated with more than 15,000 lung cancer deaths each year in the United States.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. KRWG