AUGUSTA (AP) — State officials say it appears most landlords around Maine are trying to comply with a new requirement that they test for radon, but most waited until the last minute.

Bob Stilwell, head of the radon program for the state, said his office was getting hundreds of calls per day in the days before the March 1 deadline.

Stilwell told the Kennebec Journal (http://bit.ly/1hrhsUY ) they slowed to about 50 a day after the deadline.

Radon is a colorless, odorless gas that is the second-leading cause of lung cancer after smoking.

Landlords are required to submit tests to the radiation control program in the Division of Environmental Health, part of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Landlords face $250 fines for not testing.