Date: 1988-10-05
Speaker: THOMAS A. LUKEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to bring before the House today H.R. 2837. "the Radon Pollution Control Act of 1988. This important piece of environmental legislation that I introduced last year will significantly further the national effort to reduce the risks to human health posed by radon. the naturally occurring. cancercausing gas found in homes and schools throughout the United States. At a time when many of the environmental hazards we confront are manmade. it is somewhat ironic that much of the Nations radon pollution is a natural phenomenon produced by soil and rock. Nevertheless. this colorless and odorless gas poses a serious health threat when it enters homes. schools. and offices through cracks. pipe seals. or other avenues. and attaches itself to the lungs of the thousands of Americans exposed to it. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] has cited radon gas as the No. 1 environmental cancer risk faced by the American people. EPA estimates that radon may cause as many as 20.000 lung cancer deaths annually. In a report released 2 weeks ago. EPA revealed that radon is a national problem and that one in three American homes may have dangerously high levels of radon in them. The Surgeon General of the United States has recommended that Americans take immediate action to measure radon levels in their homes. And with good reason. Researchers have identified homes in which radiation levels from radon are the equivalent of having a Three Mile Island accident occur in the neighborhood once a week. and whose water supply is contaminated to a level equal in effect to smoking seven packs of cigarettes a day. While at least 20 States have acknowledged radon problems. few have the necessary technical capabilities or financial resources to respond effectively to the situations in their States. New Jersey. Pennsylvania. and a handful of other States which have very serious problems have responded with limited State programs. Radon detection is not costly. and many of the hazards encountered can be abated by solutions which are neither elaborate nor expensive. H.R. 2837. as reported by the Committee on Energy and Commerce. establishes the framework necessary for EPA to provide the assistance that States need to abate radon pollution. Under this legislation. EPA will design and implement training programs to teach State and local officials proper radon detection. monitoring. and mitigation techniques. help the States establish or augment their own programs to deal with current radon pollution. establish a national clearinghouse on radonrelated information. and certify radon measurement devices and mitigation technologies. Pursuant to the bill EPA will also administer a $10 million grant program for fiscal years 1988 through 1990. which will provide assistance to the States in their efforts to build effective radon control programs. Under this latter provision. grants will be available for certain activities including radon surveys. development of educational materials. purchase of laboratory equipment and measurement devices. Federal assistance will be limited to 75 percent of the cost of the State program in the first year. 60 percent in the second year. and 50 percent in the third year. and no State will receive more than 10 percent of Federal funds available in any fiscal year. Finally. while we have some data that indicate hazardous levels of radon contamination in schools. we do not now know how prevalent this problem is because the necessary research has not been undertaken. This legislation provides an additional $1.5 million to EPA to conduct a survey of school buildings in the country to determine the level of radon contamination in schools. During committee consideration of H.R. 2837 conern was raised about EPAs selection of 4 picocuries per liter as an "action level" at which homeowners were advised to make repairs to reduce radon levels. These concerns were raised because there is no "safe" level of exposure to radoneach increment of exposure increases the risk of developing lung cancer. It was feared that EPAs use of the 4picocuriesperliter action level might give a false sense of security to a homeowner with that level of radon in his or her home that might easily be reduced. The bill now sets as a longterm national goal the reduction of radon levels in buildings to the level of the outside air. In addition. instead of suggesting an action level of 4 picocuries per liter in its publications. EPA is directed to provide information to the public about how much risk is associated with various levels of radon in the home and about available methods to measure and reduce radon levels. The homeowner can. therefore. make an informed decision with respec to the benefits and affordability in the reduction of radon in his or her particular situation and will not be mis~ed to believe that any one action level provides a safe level of exposure to radon. H.R. 2837 also directs EPA to develop model construction standards and techniques for use in new building construction that will lead to the reduction of radon levels. These will be clone in conjunction with the organizations that today develop national building codes. Finally. H.R. 2837 authorizes EPA to make grants to universities or other institutions of higher learning for the purpose of establishing and operating regional radon training centers. These centers are intended to develop information and provide education on the health risks posed by radon and methods of radon measurement and mitigation. Mr. Speaker. the public health threats from radon contamination are substantial and real. The bill before the House today. H.R. 2837. puts the Nation on the right track for dealing with this environmental problem. I wholeheartedly urge adoption of the bill. Q 1545 Mr. Speaker. I reserve the balance of my time.