Trouble mitigating radon at home

We've been dealing with a radon problem at home for the past few months. Despite numerous attempts to mitigate the radon in our basement, our levels are still elevated. There is an old subslab suction/depressurization system that is currently running. We also now have another system with five new suction points. However, this doesn't seem to be enough to get the levels below 4 pCi/L.

I was speaking with some people about my frustrations and I'm still surprised by the fact that so many people don't realize that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer (smoking is #1). The EPA recommends that you should aim to get the radon levels below the national action levelof 4 pCi/L. They recommend following the Standard Practice for Radon Mitigation Systems in Existing Low-Rise Residential Buildings.

So when will our radon issue get settled? That's a question I keep asking every day.

Reducing your home radon levels

We're having some work done in our house because our radon levels in the basement are too high. Our current radon mitigation system is not working well. It's an old system, so it's not too surprising. The fan has been replaced, but the soil suction radon reduction system needs to be redone. There are four types of systems: subslab suction, drain tile suction, sump hole suction, or block wall suction. According to the EPA, active subslab suction (also called subslab depressurization) is the most common and usually the most reliable radon reduction method.

Many people are living with high radon levels and they don't even know it. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer (smoking is #1).

The EPA says, "it's a good idea to retest your home every two years to be sure radon levels remain low." When's the last time you tested your home? If you have a mitigation system, are you sure your fan is working? I've seen people live in homes where the mitigation system fan had burned out and the radon levels were in the 30s and 40s.

Another common problem related to radon is this: People check the radon levels in an unfinished basement and everything seems OK. Then, they finish the basement and compartmentalize certain sections. This could cause radon to build up in specific areas and become a problem. Therefore, always recheck the radon after you finish your basement.

To learn more about radon, visit the EPA website at http://www.epa.gov/radon

Radon levels and public health

I've become a radon fanatic. If I had a billion dollars, I'd start a foundation dedicated to radon and public health. So many people are unaware of the health hazards associated with elevated radon levels. Countless people are getting exposed to a carcinogenic gas and they don't realize it. Others simply don't care because they live in denial. They simply think, "it's not going to happen to me."

According to the United States EPA (Environmental Protection Agency):

Radon is a cancer-causing natural radioactive gas that you can’t see, smell or taste. Its presence in your home can pose a danger to your family's health. Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in America and claims about 20,000 lives annually.

Why am I such a fanatic about radon? Because I didn't really care about radon until I recently had a house inspection. After the radon levels came back elevated, I did countless hours of research to explore and understand this topic. During that process, I realized that many other healthcare professionals simply don't really care very much about radon. It's an invisible gas, so people often forget to think about it.

How can I prove that many people don't care about radon or the EPA? The EPA has a Twitter account and do you know how many people are following the @EPAgov? At the time when I wrote this article, only 3,032. Even I have more followers than that! Compare that to 782,757 following @CDCEmergency!

Toxic Air in 600 U.S. Neighborhoods According to the EPA

Wow, can you believe that the air quality is toxic in 600 U.S. neighborhoods? According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), millions of people are breathing pollutants that may increase their risk of developing cancer. Here's a snippet from Time: "The levels of 80 cancer-causing substances released by automobiles, factories, and other sources in these areas exceed a 100 in 1 million cancer risk. That means that if 1 million people breathed air with similar concentrations over their lifetime, about 100 additional people would be expected to develop cancer because of their exposure to the pollution..."
Wish to read the Time article? Click here.

Asbestos in Montana

My cousin used to live in Montana. Now, she lives in Alaska and loves it up there. Unless you enjoy the outdoors, you may not enjoy a life in Montana. According to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), the town of Libby, Montana has a serious asbestos problem. The problem is so bad that the EPA has declared a "cleanup emergency" in this town and it will get more than $130 million in cleanup and medical assistance from the Obama administration. Asbestosis isn't your typical "acute" emergency, but I suppose that enough health officials decided that enough was enough.

Here's a snippet from CNN: "The town was heavily contaminated with asbestos-laced dust that federal prosecutors said resulted in more than 200 deaths and 1,000 illnesses. "For decades, the disease and death rate from asbestosis in the Libby area was staggeringly high -- much higher than the national average... EPA spokeswoman Adora Andy said $6 million from the Department of Health and Human Services will go to local health care providers to screen, diagnose and treat asbestos-related illnesses, while $125 million will go toward cleaning up contaminated areas."

Wow, how do you clean up a mess that started in 1920? The asbestos contamination in that town is being blamed for 200 deaths and 1,000 illnesses. This is going to be a long and arduous clean-up effort. Better late than never.

Radon Levels in Your Home

Do you have a basement? Do you know what Radon Zone you live in?

	Zone 1 counties have a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L (pico curies per liter) (red zones)	Highest Potential
	Zone 2 counties have a predicted average indoor radon screening level between 2 and 4 pCi/L (orange zones)	Moderate Potential
	Zone 3 counties have a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L (yellow zones)	Low Potential

Unless you're a homeowner, you may not be thinking about Radon. However, I've recently done some research on this topic for personal reasons (I'll let you guess), and here are some interesting findings:

• Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer.
  
• According to the EPA, "Radon levels less than 4 pCi/L still pose a risk, and in many cases may be reduced." (see the chart below)
  
• The EPA recommends building new homes with radon-resistant features in high radon potential (Zone 1) areas.
  
• Even at levels of 2, there is an increased risk of cancer and the EPA suggests that you should "Consider fixing between 2 and 4 pCi/L" (see the chart below)

For a Radon Zone map, click here

The chart below is from this EPA Radon site:

Radon Risk If You Smoke

Radon Level	If 1,000 people who smoked were exposed to this level over a lifetime*...	The risk of cancer from radon exposure compares to**...	WHAT TO DO: Stop smoking and...
20 pCi/L	About 260 people could get lung cancer	250 times the risk of drowning	Fix your home
10 pCi/L	About 150 people could get lung cancer	200 times the risk of dying in a home fire	Fix your home
8 pCi/L	About 120 people could get lung cancer	30 times the risk of dying in a fall	Fix your home
4 pCi/L	About 62 people could get lung cancer	5 times the risk of dying in a car crash	Fix your home
2 pCi/L	About 32 people could get lung cancer	6 times the risk of dying from poison	Consider fixing between 2 and 4 pCi/L
1.3 pCi/L	About 20 people could get lung cancer	(Average indoor radon level)	(Reducing radon levels below 2 pCi/L is difficult.)
0.4 pCi/L	About 3 people could get lung cancer	(Average outdoor radon level)
Note: If you are a former smoker, your risk may be lower. * Lifetime risk of lung cancer deaths from EPA Assessment of Risks from Radon in Homes (EPA 402-R-03-003). ** Comparison data calculated using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 1999-2001 National Center for Injury Prevention and Control Reports.

Radon Risk If You've Never Smoked

Radon Level	If 1,000 people who never smoked were exposed to this level over a lifetime*...	The risk of cancer from radon exposure compares to**...	WHAT TO DO:
20 pCi/L	About 36 people could get lung cancer	35 times the risk of drowning	Fix your home
10 pCi/L	About 18 people could get lung cancer	20 times the risk of dying in a home fire	Fix your home
8 pCi/L	About 15 people could get lung cancer	4 times the risk of dying in a fall	Fix your home
4 pCi/L	About 7 people could get lung cancer	The risk of dying in a car crash	Fix your home
2 pCi/L	About 4 person could get lung cancer	The risk of dying from poison	Consider fixing between 2 and 4 pCi/L
1.3 pCi/L	About 2 people could get lung cancer	(Average indoor radon level)	(Reducing radon levels below 2 pCi/L is difficult.)
0.4 pCi/L		(Average outdoor radon level)
Note: If you are a former smoker, your risk may be higher. * Lifetime risk of lung cancer deaths from EPA Assessment of Risks from Radon in Homes (EPA 402-R-03-003). ** Comparison data calculated using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 1999-2001 National Center for Injury Prevention and Control Reports.

So what's the bottom line? Radon causes cancer and you should do what you can to avoid exposure to it. Should the EPA lower the limit from 4 to something less? That depends on whether that would be a "cost-effective" public health decision for the government. How much are you willing to pay to mitigate your risk?