Environmental Valuation & Cost-Benefit News

Link: http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/Press%20Releases%20By%20Date!OpenView

...Radon gas is the No. 1 cause of lung cancer in non-smokers. Nearly 50 people a day will die from indoor exposure to radon – that’s equal to about 20,000 people each year.

The good news? It’s simple and affordable to reduce radon risks in the home.

Radon preventive actions have saved an estimated 6,000 lives from radon-induced lung cancer in the last 20 years. EPA is encouraging people to participate in National Radon Action Month by helping raise awareness about radon risk in their community. By doing so, they will be joining in the Radon Leaders Saving Lives campaign, a coalition of EPA, state and local governments, non-profit organizations, and radon professionals dedicated to doubling the lives saved from radon exposure over the next five years.

Radon comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock, and water. It is an invisible, tasteless, radioactive gas that can become trapped indoors. When you breathe air containing radon, you are exposing yourself to the second leading cause of lung cancer. Radon is found all over the country and in any type of building including homes, offices, and schools. Because we spend most of our time indoors at this time of year, this is the best time to test our homes for radon.

While many health challenges are tough to solve and expensive, testing for radon is easy and inexpensive. For $20 you can buy a "do-it-yourself" radon test kit at a hardware store or retail outlet. Many of us had our homes tested when they were purchased, but that may have been 20 years ago. EPA recommends you get your home tested every five years, since foundations can shift over time.

If your test shows high levels of radon, confirm with another test and fix the problem. A high radon level might be lowered with a straight-forward radon venting system installed by a contractor. Mitigation costs generally run from $1,000 to $2,500. In new homes, builders can easily and economically include radon-resistant features during construction, and home buyers should ask for these. EPA also recommends that home buyers ask their builder to test for radon before they move in.

EPA estimates that one in 15 homes will have a radon level of four picocuries per liter of air or more, a level the agency considers high. Based on the national radon map, all of the mid-Atlantic states - - Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, D.C., and Delaware - - have areas with elevated radon levels.

January is National Radon Action Month: http://www.epa.gov/radon/nram/index.html. To download print, radio and television public service announcements about radon see: http://www.epapsa.com. You can also reach your state radon office on-line or by phone

Radon Action Could Save Many Lives
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/d0cf6618525a9efb85257359003fb69d/86ef1e837f6b5f858525753700654f9e!OpenDocument
U.S. EPA Press Release dated January 7, 2009

Check 'Tested Our House for Radon' Off Your January List of Things to Do
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/d0cf6618525a9efb85257359003fb69d/dec45ec4d5434afa852575350070e652!OpenDocument
U.S. EPA Press Release Dated January 5, 2009