=======================Electronic Edition========================
RACHEL’S HAZARDOUS WASTE NEWS #100
—October 24, 1988—
News and resources for environmental justice.
——
Environmental Research Foundation
P.O. Box 5036, Annapolis, MD 21403
Fax (410) 263-8944; Internet: erf@igc.apc.org
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DESPITE WHAT YOU MAY SUSPECT, THE DANGER FROM RADON IS REAL.
The federal EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) announced
in midSeptember that 1/3 of all U.S. homes may contain dangerous
levels of radon, a colorless, odorless, tasteless cancer-causing
gas created by nature. The agency said as many as 20,000
Americans may be dying each year from lung cancer caused by radon
in homes. They said all homes should be tested for the presence
of radon.
Coming 60 days before the election, the announcement looked
political. But we believe our readers should take this threat
seriously. Here’s why:
There can be absolutely no doubt that radon causes lung cancer in
humans. An epidemic of lung cancer is now sweeping through the
men who worked the uranium mines in our Western states from 1940
to today. European miners show similar cancers from similar
exposures. Radon gas is not something you want to breathe and it
is not something you want your children to breathe.
Radon is a natural hazard, but this does not make it safe by any
means. Radon is formed by the naturally-occurring radioactive
decay of uranium, an element that occurs in all soil (more in
some soils, less in others). Radon is heavier than air, so it
tends to collect in low places that are poorly-ventilated, such
as basements. Newer homes may be especially prone to a buildup of
radon because they are often designed with poor ventilation as an
energy-conservation measure.
The EPA has probably not overestimated the danger from exposure
to particular levels of radon. What the agency may have
overestimated is the amount of radon in peoples’ homes. The
agency’s tests generally occur during the winter, when people
keep their houses zipped up against the cold. Therefore the
agency’s tests may have overestimated the average exposures that
people endure because the average must take into account both
winter and summer conditions.
Nevertheless, the radon problem is something we should each
evaluate in our own homes, including apartments below the 3rd
floor. You can get a quick (one-day to one-week) sample of the
air in your home tested for radon for about $10.00, but a sample
of the air taken over a longer period (90 days to a year) is much
more reliable for showing you the average amount of radon in your
home, which is what you care about. One high reading for a day or
a week is cause for concern (it should prompt you to do a longer
test) but it is not cause for panic. On the other hand, a low
reading for one day or one week does not prove there’s no
danger. It is the long-term average that will create the cancer
risk, so that is what you want to know about.
The Reagan Administration (and certain state governments, such as
New Jersey’s) would have you believe that the radon problem is so
serious that you should forget about the toxic chemicals in your
air and water. This is dangerously false. At a minimum, the
hazard from radon in your home will be added to the danger you
face from chemicals. Worse yet, there is abundant evidence from
cigarette-smoking uranium miners that the effects of radon and
some chemicals may be multiplied, creating a combined hazard much
worse than the two hazards added together. This is called
synergism and there is a definite synergistic effect between the
chemicals in tobacco smoke and radon gas. Therefore, the radon
danger should make us redouble our efforts to rid the environment
of toxic chemicals; nature provided the earth with a background
level of hazards [radon, cosmic rays, black widow spiders, to
name a few], so we should work hard to prevent greedy humans from
adding industrial hazards and making the situation worse.
Therefore, though we believe Mr. Reagan hoped the radon
announcement would take your mind off the toxic chemicals that
his EPA has failed to control over the last eight years, we
believe radon should be taken very seriously by people who care
about their health. The radon threat should be evaluated house by
house. This problem has been known in New Jersey and Pennsylvania
since 1984 and we have studied it closely. We firmly believe the
danger is real.
We think the New York Times gave good advice when they suggested
that their readers contact a company called Air-Chek, Box 2000,
Arden, NC 28704; phone (704) 684-0893. Air-Check will sell you
one short term [charcoal canister] test for $9.95, or 3 short
tests for $24.95. [Check the basement and typical living areas,
such as living room and a bedroom.] They sell 3 of the
longerterm, more reliable [called alpha track] tests for $49.95
and this is the test we recommend. These tests are simple. They
mail you a canister about the size of a can of shoe polish. You
set it in your home for the recommended time period, then mail it
back. They analyze it and send you the results along with an
explanation.
The EPA says 4 picoCuries of radon per liter of air is “safe,”
but they also admit that this is four times the natural
background level, and that 4 picoCuries is the equivalent of
getting 200 to 300 chest xrays per year or smoking 1/2 a pack of
cigarettes per day. They say 1% to 5% of the people exposed to
such a level 75% of the time for 70 years will develop lung
cancer. We believe the federal standard should be cut in half; in
truth, we favor reducing the level inside homes to background
(one picoCurie per liter). And of course no one should use
tobacco at all. We favor a law requiring alpha track testing for
any house that’s sold.
Ventilating a home with fresh air is the right antidote to the
radon hazard. If you find excessive radon in your home, it can be
fixed easily for an average cost of $500 to $1000. Don’t panic,
don’t move out, and don’t be afraid to buy a house. But above
all, don’t ignore the problem just because it was Mr. Reagan’s
EPA who brought it to light.
To learn more about the problem in your area and to find reliable
people who can advise you on testing and mitigation, contact the
American Association of Radon Scientists and Technicians, a trade
group: P.O. Box 70, Park Ridge, NJ 07656; phone (201) 391-6445.
Recently, Bernard Cohen, a pro-nuke scientist at University of
Pittsburgh, has been saying he has evidence that a little radon
(between 1 and 4 picoCuries per liter) may actually be good for
you. [For example, see SCIENCE NEWS Vol. 134 (Oct. 15, 1988), pg.
254.] This is an interesting theory, but it’s definitely not
something you want to bet your health or your children’s health
on. Be safe; test for radon, then mitigate.
–Peter Montague, Ph.D.
Descriptor terms: indoor air pollution; radiation;
radioactivity; radon; epa; remedial action;