RADON

RADON

The most common source of indoor radon is uranium in the soil or
rock on which homes are built. As uranium naturally breaks down,
it releases radon gas which is a colorless, odorless, radioactive
gas. Radon gas enters homes through dirt floors, cracks in
concrete walls and floors, floor drains, and sumps. When radon
become strapped in buildings and concentrations build up indoors,
exposure to radon becomes a concern.

Any home may have a radon problem. This means new and old
homes, well sealed and drafty homes, and homes with or without
basements.

Sometimes radon enters the home through well water. In a small
number of homes, the building materials can give off radon, too.
However, building materials rarely cause radon problems by
themselves.

Health Effects of Radon

The predominant health effect associated with exposure to
elevated levels of radon is lung cancer. Research suggests that
swallowing water with high radon levels may pose risks, too,
although these are believed to be much lower than those from
breathing air containing radon. Major health organizations (like
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Lung
Association (ALA), and the American Medical Association) agree
with estimates that radon causes thousands of preventable lung
cancer deaths each year. EPA estimates that radon causes about
14,000 deaths per year in the United States however, this number
could range from 7,000 to 30,000 deaths per year. If you smoke
and your home has high radon levels, your risk of lung cancer is
especially high.

Reducing Exposure to Radon in Homes

Measure levels of radon in your home.

You can t see radon, but it s not hard to find out if you have a
radon problem in your home. Testing is easy and should only take
a little of your time.

There are many kinds of inexpensive, do-it-yourself radon
test kits you can get through the mail and in hardware stores and
other retail outlets. Make sure you buy a test kit that has
passed EPA s testing program or is state certified. These kits
will usually display the phrase Meets EPA Requirements. If you
prefer, or if you are buying or selling a home, you can hire a
trained contractor to do the testing for you. The EPA Radon
Measurement Proficiency (RMP) Program evaluates testing
contractors. A contractor who has met EPA s requirements will
carry a special RMP identification card. EPA provides a list of
companies and individual contractors to state radon offices. You
can call your state radon office to obtain a list of qualified
contractors in your area (call 800-SOS-RADON for a list of state
radon offices).

Refer to the EPA guidelines on how to test and interpret your
test results.

You can learn more about radon through EPA s publications, A
Citizen s Guide to Radon: The Guide to Protecting Yourself and
Your Family From Radon and Home Buyer s and Seller s Guide to
Radon, which are available from state radon offices.

Learn about radon reduction methods.

Ways to reduce radon in your home are discussed in EPA s Consumer
s Guide to Radon Reduction. You can get a copy from your state
radon office. There are simple solutions to radon problems in
homes. Thousands of homeowners have already fixed radon
problems. Lowering high radon levels requires technical
knowledge and special skills. You should use a contractor who is
trained to fix radon problems.

The EPA Radon Contractor Proficiency (RCP) Program tests
these contractors. EPA provides a list of RCP contractors to
state radon offices. A contractor who is listed by EPA will
carry a special RCP identification card. A trained RCP
contractor can study the problem in your home and help you pick
the correct treatment method. Check with your state radon office
for names of qualified or state certified radon reduction
contractors in your area.

Stop smoking and discourage smoking in your home.

Scientific evidence indicates that smoking combined with radon is
an especially serious health risk. Stop smoking and lower your
radon level to reduce lung cancer risk.

Treat radon contaminated well water.

While radon in water is not a problem in homes served by most
public water supplies, it has been found in well water. If
you've tested the air in your home and found a radon problem, and
you have a well, contact a lab certified to measure radiation in
water to have your water tested. Radon problems in water can be
readily fixed. Call your state radon office or the EPA Drinking
Water Hotline (8004264791) for more information.

ENVIRONMENTAL TOBACCO SMOKE

Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is the mixture of smoke that
comes from the burning end of a cigarette, pipe, or cigar, and
smoke exhaled by the smoker. It is a complex mixture of over
4,000 compounds, more than 40 of which are known to cause cancer
in humans or animals and many of which are strong irritants.
ETS is often referred to as secondhand smoke and exposure to
ETS is often called passive smoking.

Health Effects of Environmental Tobacco Smoke

In 1992, EPA completed a major assessment of the respiratory
health risks of ETS (Respiratory Health Effects of Passive
Smoking: Lung Cancer and Other Disorders EPA/600/690/006F). The
report concludes that exposure to ETS is responsible for
approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths each year in non-smoking
adults and impairs the respiratory health of hundreds of
thousands of children.

Infants and young children whose parents smoke in their
presence are at increased risk of lower respiratory tract
infections (pneumonia and bronchitis) and are more likely to have
symptoms of respiratory irritation like cough, excess phlegm, and
wheeze. EPA estimates that passive smoking annually causes
between 150,000 and 300,000 lower respiratory tract infections in
infants and children under 18 months of age, resulting in between
7,500 and 15,000 hospitalizations each year. These children may
also have a buildup of fluid in the middle ear, which can lead to
ear infections. Older children who have been exposed to
secondhand smoke may have slightly reduced lung function.

Asthmatic children are especially at risk. EPA estimates that
exposure to secondhand smoke increases the number of episodes and
severity of symptoms in hundreds of thousands of asthmatic
children, and may cause thousands of non-asthmatic children to
develop the disease each year. EPA estimates that between
200,000 and 1,000,000 asthmatic children have their condition
made worse by exposure to secondhand smoke each year.

Exposure to secondhand smoke causes eye, nose, and throat
irritation. It may affect the cardiovascular system and some
studies have linked exposure to secondhand smoke with the onset
of chest pain. For publications about ETS, contact EPA s Indoor
Air Quality Information Clearinghouse (IAQ-INFO), 8004384318.

Reducing Exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke

Don t smoke at home or permit others to do so. Ask smokers to
smoke outdoors.

The 1986 Surgeon General s report concluded that physical
separation of smokers and nonsmokers in a common air space, such
as different rooms within the same house, may reduce but will not
eliminate nonsmokers exposure to environmental tobacco smoke.

If smoking indoors cannot be avoided, increase ventilation in
the area where smoking takes place.

Open windows or use exhaust fans. Ventilation, a common method
of reducing exposure to indoor air pollutants, also will reduce
but not eliminate exposure to environmental tobacco smoke.
Because smoking produces such large amounts of pollutants,
natural or mechanical ventilation techniques do not remove them
from the air in your home as quickly as they build up. In
addition, the large increases in ventilation it takes to
significantly reduce exposure to environmental tobacco smoke can
also increase energy costs substantially. Consequently, the most
effective way to reduce exposure to environmental tobacco smoke
in the home is to eliminate smoking there.

Do not smoke if children are present, particularly infants and
toddlers.

Children are particularly susceptible to the effects of passive
smoking. Do not allow baby sitters or others who work in your
home to smoke indoors. Discourage others from smoking around
children. Find out about the smoking policies of the day care
center providers, schools, and other care givers for your
children. The policy should protect children from exposure to
ETS.