AARST Radon Scientist Claim Nation's Policy a Failure

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AARST Radon Scientist Claim Nation's Policy a Failure

PENNSYLVANIA, PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 8 -/E-Wire/-- In response to the Environmental Protection Agency's Radon Action Month, the American Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists states that progress in abating radon in the United States is bordering on failure.

In a recent editorial posted on the association's web site, Peter Hendrick, AARST's Executive Director states that policies put in place by the federal government since 1988 have barely begun to address the danger of low- level radiation found in many homes throughout the US.

"How long," Hendrick asks, "are policy makers and regulators going to ignore the fact that radon is killing Americans in the very homes where we believe our families are safe?"

Researchers estimate that radon is responsible for at least 22,000 lung cancer deaths in the United States annually.

Radon, a Class A carcinogen, is a naturally occurring gas that emits low levels of radiation and can reach dangerous levels when it enters a home.

According to AARST, a nonprofit scientific organization, 10 million of the nation's 75 million single-family homes may exceed the radon safety standard.

In 1988 Congress passed the Indoor Radon Abatement Act, establishing a national goal of reducing radon to levels deemed safe. As a result, the USEPA created a recommended guideline of 4 picocuries per liter of indoor air.

Last year, according to the scientific organization, 75,000 homes were successfully mitigated in the United States. The cost to test and repair these homes is relatively inexpensive - averaging $1100 per home.

Unfortunately, Hendrick writes, the current remediation rate is completely inadequate to address the current level of radiation risk and exposure and still keep up with new home construction. At this rate, within twelve years, these 10 million homes will grow to 11 million homes. This will expose 38 million Americans to unacceptable doses of radiation.

In those same twelve years, Hendrick points out, over a quarter of a million people will die from radon induced lung cancer.

Hendrick believes that the high mortality rate and low solution rate indicates inherent failures with an un-mandated USEPA radon program that is being ignored by key agencies within the federal government. He singles out the Department of Housing and Urban Development for special criticism.

"Fourteen years after Congress acted, America's national radon program seems impotent. Our nation lacks leadership and a coherent national policy on radon. Efforts to solve this problem are proving unproductive."

The solution, according to Hendrick, does not require new funding or new programs. "Our government simply needs to enforce current laws under the National Environmental Policy Act."

A full copy of the opinion piece can be found on the association's web site: www.aarst.org

AARST is a professional non-profit organization dedicated to highest standards of radon safety, research and technical information for measurement and remediation for both professionals and the public

American Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists

Peter Hendrick, Executive Director

American Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists, Inc.

14 Pratt Road, Alstead, NH 03602

http://www.aarst.org

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