# Presentation: 118340

## Communicating Radon’s Health Risk

- Lou Witt
- Indoor Environments Division
- US EPA
- National Air Quality Conference
- San Antonio, TX
- 2/6/6

## Communicating Radon’s Health Risk

**Outline**
- Radon Overview
- Communications Strategy
- Progress So Far
- Challenges
- Resources

## Communicating Radon’s Health Risk

**Radon Overview**
- Radon is a radioactive gas that causes lung cancer
- Radon is one of 133 Urban Air Toxics
- Occurs naturally from the breakdown of uranium and radium
- Radon can be found all over the US

## EPA Map of Radon Zones*

- *radon potential, but EVERY HOME SHOULD BE TESTED for radon

-       Legend
- 	  Zone 1
- 	  Zone 2
- 	  Zone 3

**Guam - ****	****Preliminary Zone designation**

**Zone 1 - Predicted average indoor screening level greater than 4 picoCuries per liter of air (pCi/L)**
**Zone 2 - Predicted average indoor screening level between 2 and 4 pCi/L**
**Zone 3 - Predicted average indoor screening level less than 2 pCi/L**

## Communicating Radon’s Health Risk

- Overview (continued)
- It cannot be detected with the 5 senses
- It enters buildings primarily from the soil below
- Nearly one out of every 15 homes in the U.S. is estimated to have a radon level above the EPA’s action level
**Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer for non-smokers in the US – 21,000 deaths annually**
- There are simple and cost-effective actions the public can take to reduce exposure to radon

## Communicating Radon’s Health Risk Comparative Risk

## MitigationHow Radon Problems Are Fixed Radon Mitigation System - Sub-Slab Depressurization (SSD)

- Suction created by fan draws radon from beneath the concrete slab and safely vents radon outdoors
- Most common type of radon mitigation system

- Fan

- Attic

- Depressurization
- Piping System

- Discharge

## Communicating Radon’s Health Risk

**Estimated Costs to Homeowners**
**Testing:**
- $10-25 for do-it-yourself tests
- About $75 to $250 per test from a radon contractor
**To fix an existing home:**
- From $800 to $2500, with an average of about $1200
**To include radon-resistant features in a new home:**
- $350 to $500 for system without fan
- Additional $200 to $350 for system with fan
- Lower costs reported by builders who install some of the radon-resistant features for other reasons

## Communicating Radon’s Health Risk

**Communications Strategy**
- Strong science
- Use media to build and maintain public awareness and action
- Collaborate with States and network of non-profit organizations to achieve results
- Work with construction and real estate industries to adopt radon policies

##  Effective Messages

* **Effective Messages*

**Easy for your target audience to understand**
**Truthful and based on solid science and facts**
**Based on what you learn is effective in moving your target audience to action**
**Emphasize the good things that result from taking action**

_**Clear**_**	**
_**Accurate**_
_**Tested **_
_**Benefit-Focused**_
_**Brief**_

## Communicating Radon’s Health Risk

**Communications Strategy**
***Radon is the #1 Cause of Lung Cancer for Non-Smokers***
**Protect Your Family***** -- Test Your Home***
**Protect Your Family --***** Fix Your Home***

## Communicating Radon’s Health Risk

**Partners Doing Radon Work**

- National Safety Council (NSC)
- Alliance for Healthy Homes
- Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors
- National Association of Counties
- U.S. Department of Agriculture Extension Service
- National Environmental Health Association
- American Lung Association
- Rutgers University – Cook College
- Kansas State University
- STAPPA/ALAPCO

## THE PUBLIC

**National Media**

**State/County Government Associations**

**Local Media**

**Local Health Officials**

**State & Local Consumer Advocates**

**National Consumer Organization**

**City Government Association**

**Building Code Association**

**National Teachers Labor Union**

**City Health Officials**

**Building Code Officials**

**School Officials**

**Physicians**

**Builders**

**Real Estate Agents**

**Teachers**

**Medical Association**

**National Association of Home Builders**

**National Real Estate Association**

**School Association**

## Communicating Radon’s Health Risk

- National Radon Action Month
- Every January
- Significant state, local, and Partner activities
- National Media Campaign
- Highly successful Radon VNR generated more than 600 stories in more than 50 major markets
- Emmy-award winning PSA campaign in 2006

## Communicating Radon’s Health Risk

**Consumer Awareness of Radon as a Health Hazard**

## Communicating Radon’s Health Risk

**Consumer Awareness of Radon as a Health Hazard**

## Communicating Radon’s Health Risk

- Radon Program Progress
- 18 million of about 100 million existing homes in the U.S. have been tested for radon since 1985 (18%)
- More than 700,000 existing homes have been mitigated for radon since 1985
- Over 2 million new single-family detached homes built with radon-reducing features since 1990
- 49 States, Wash D.C. and Guam have Radon Programs
- 28 States have mandatory property condition disclosures that include radon

## Communicating Radon’s Health Risk

- Challenges
- Keeping momentum in an ‘older’ program
- Getting more federal/national organizations to adopt strong policies on radon ( HUD issue)
- Helping States increase radon programs’ effectiveness & results
- Finding ways to provide assistance for low-income radon problems

## Communicating Radon’s Health Risk

- Resources
- 1-800 SOS-RADON
- www.epa.gov/radon
- Phil Jalbert, Radon Team Leader,
- 202-343-9431, jalbert.phillip@epa.gov
- Lou Witt, Radon Team,
- 202-343-9051, witt.lou@epa.gov