EPA and Partners Announce National Plan to Prevent Lung Cancer Deaths Due to Radon Exposure

Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), American Lung Association, and other partners are announcing a strategy for preventing 3,200 lung cancer deaths annually by 2020 through radon exposure reduction strategies. Exposure to radioactive radon gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer in America. The goal to save these lives will be achieved by reducing high radon levels in five million homes, apartments, schools and childcare centers. The partnership includes three federal departments and agencies, and nine national organizations. “EPA is very pleased to be a partner in this important life-saving effort to prevent lung cancer caused by radon. Working together creates new opportunities for reducing the risk from radon. Combining our resources will save American lives by magnifying our effectiveness in preventing exposure to radon in homes and schools,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. The National Radon Action Plan: A Strategy for Saving Lives sets out strategies to drive the changes needed to reduce exposure to radon. Strategies include requiring radon testing and reduction systems as a standard practice in housing finance and insurance programs, and institutionalizing radon risk reduction through building code requirements. The strategy released today builds on the successes of the 2011 Federal Radon Action Plan, which has led to protections from radon in more than 105,000 multi-family homes financed by HUD, among other actions by the federal government. Today’s plan broadens the scope and reach of the Federal Radon Action Plan by including the health, scientific and technical expertise of the national partners. The collaborative strategy announced today aligns federal efforts with those of other national organizations dedicated to lowering radon exposure: the American Lung Association (ALA), American Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists (AARST), the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI), Cancer Survivors Against Radon (CanSAR), the Children’s Environmental Health Network (CEHN), Citizens for Radioactive Radon Reduction, the Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors (CRCPD), the Environmental Law Institute (ELI), and the National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH). In addition to EPA, the federal partners are the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Radon is a radioactive gas that comes from the decay of uranium in the ground. Nearly all soils contain some naturally occurring uranium. Radon seeps up from the soil into buildings where it can accumulate to high levels. Since radon is invisible and odorless, dangerous levels can exist indoors without occupants knowing. Testing is the only way to know the radon level in your home or school. Exposure to radon causes an estimated 21,000 lung cancer deaths annually. After smoking, radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer. However, affordable measures effective in reducing radon indoors are available, and when employed can prevent radon-induced lung cancer and save lives. The new National Plan can be found at http://www.epa.gov/radon/national-radon-action-plan-strategy-saving-lives. For more information visit http://www2.epa.gov/radon

County First in US to Require Radon Gas Testing

Montgomery residents who sell their homes will have to test for radon and give buyers the results under a bill passed unanimously by the County Council on Tuesday.

Montgomery is the first locality in the country to establish a radon testing requirement, according to the bill’s sponsor, council member Craig Rice (D-Upcounty). Like many other recent regulatory measures passed by the council, however, there are few provisions for enforcement. The radon bill does not specify penalties for noncompliance.

“We’re just trying to get people to test,” Rice said, likening the new requirement to having carbon monoxide detectors in homes and other common safety measures.

Maryland is one of several states that require sellers to disclose to buyers any knowledge of radon in their homes. Buyers often request the test anyway as a condition of sale.

But the Montgomery County attorney’s office told the council that the state law does not create an explicit obligation on the part of the seller to determine whether radon is an issue.

[Do energy-efficient homes lead to elevated radon levels?]

Radon is an invisible radioactive gas produced by the natural breakdown of uranium in rocks and soil. It enters homes through foundation cracks and other openings. According to the Environmental Protection Agency , it is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers and the second-leading cause of lung cancer, after cigarette smoking, for the general population.

Montgomery, Fairfax and other counties in Maryland and Virginia are a “Zone 1” radon risk, according to the EPA. The rating means that indoor radon levels are likely to exceed four picocuries per liter of air. A picocurie is a trillionth of a curie, a measure of radiation.

At that level, the EPA recommends installation of relatively inexpensive ventilation systems that suction the gas out of the ground and into the air.

The real estate industry opposed the county bill, citing the potential for increased costs for sellers. Prior to the vote, the council rejected a last-minute amendment from an industry trade group, the Greater Capital Area Association of Realtors, that would have exempted new single-family homes being sold for the first time.