The Mississippi State Department of Health Radon Program is partnering with the Mississippi Public Library System to offer free radon home test kits to Mississippi residents.

The Meridian-Lauderdale County Public Library is among those participating.

Radon is an odorless, colorless gas and is the second leading cause of lung cancer nationwide, according to the Department of Health. More than 20,000 Americans die of radon-related lung cancer each year, and radon causes up to 15 percent of lung cancers worldwide.

Radon is a radioactive gas found in nature, according to the news release. Its source is natural uranium in the earth. Being a gas, radon moves upward out of the soil and into the air, where it can enter and accumulate in homes. Uranium is found in most soils and in granite.

Test kits are available while supplies last.