EPA designates January Radon Awareness Month
By Kelly Zonderwyk
Community Services Associate
January is designated as Radon Awareness Month by EPA, and counties across America are participating in raising awareness in their communities about the serious health risks associated with radon exposure and the importance of testing homes.
Radon in Groundwater Sources
Radon exposure doesn’t just come from the soil beneath a home or building, but also from groundwater sources Ñ making itself present in well water and then being released into the air of a home when water is used for showering or other household uses.
In most cases, radon entering the home through water is a small source of risk compared with radon entering from the soil. Radon from the soil beneath the home is still the primary way individuals are exposed.
EPA estimates that indoor radon levels will increase by about 1 pCi/L for every 10,000 pCi/L of radon in water. About 1 to 2 percent of indoor radon in air comes from drinking water.
EPA also estimates that radon in drinking water causes about 168 cancer deaths per year: 89 percent from lung cancer and 11 percent from stomach cancer caused by consuming water containing radon.
Call EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800/426-4791 to get information on locating a certified lab to test a home serviced by well water for radon.
Additional questions on radon in groundwater sources can be answered at the National Safety Council’s radon Web site at www.nsc.org/ehc/radon/rad_faqs.htm#water.
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For the average person, half of the radiation they are exposed to in their life comes from radon, according to Dr. R. William Field, associate professor at the University of Iowa Department of Occupational and Environmental Health.
Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers and the second leading cause of lung cancer death. According to the EPA, radon is responsible for about 21,000 lung cancer deaths annually and about 2,900 of these deaths occur among people who have never smoked. Lung cancer death associated with radon exposure accounts for more annual deaths than other cancers, including liver, brain, stomach, melanoma and gallbladder cancer.
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas produced by the breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water. This tasteless and odorless gas enters homes and buildings from beneath their foundations and then travels upwards. Radon can enter the foundation through cracks or holes in concrete floors, walls, construction joints, sump pumps and loose-fitting pipes.
When these radioactive particles enter a person’s lungs they adhere to the lung tissue and irradiate sensitive cells. The risk of lung cancer death rises in smokers who are exposed to radon. For every 1,000 people who have smoked and are exposed to high levels of radon, about 62 people will die of lung cancer. Non-smokers exposed to high levels of radon contract lethal lung cancer at a rate of about 7.3 people for every 1,000 non-smokers.
It’s simple and inexpensive for a home to be tested for radon. Counties can purchase radon test kits to distribute in their communities or provide their residents with information on how to purchase a kit by visiting the EPA’s radon test kits manufacturers’ Web site at www.epa.gov/radon/manufact.htm.
You may also order test kits and obtain a free radon test kit coupon through the National Safety Council’s (NSC) Web site, www.nsc.org/ehc/radon/coupon.htm.
The radon level in a home is measured in pico Curies per Liter, or pCi/L. EPA recommends that any home with a radon level measuring between 2 pCi/L and 4 pCi/L be mitigated. According to the NSC nearly one out of every 15 homes has a radon level EPA considers to be elevated - 4 pCi/L or greater.
Once a home is tested and if a high level of radon is discovered, the good news is that mitigation is effective. Active subslab suction (also called subslab depressurization) is the most common radon reduction method. One or more suction pipes are either inserted through the floor slab into the crushed rock or soil underneath, or inserted below the concrete slab from outside the house.
Radon reduction systems for a home typically can cost anywhere from $800 to $2,500 and require little future maintenance. More information on reducing radon in homes can be found in the EPA’s Consumer Guide to Radon found at www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/consguid.html.
Despite facts and research demonstrating the harmful health effects of radon exposure, counties still face a difficult task in convincing their residents to test their homes and mitigate when radon levels are high. To view Dr. Field’s complete presentation, access the NACo Air Quality Web site by visiting www.naco.org/techassistance and clicking on Air Quality.
Many counties have taken the lead to address radon in their communities. A follow-up to this article, in the Jan. 30 edition of County News, will feature innovative county projects occurring throughout the month of January on radon awareness.
For more information on indoor air quality, contact Kelly Zonderwyk at NACo at 202/942-4224 or kzonderwyk@naco.org.
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