Monday, December 19, 2016

WHO WILL PROTECT YOU FROM RADIOACTIVE RADON GAS EXPOSURE?



The Who, What, Where, When, Why and How of Radon
Who will protect you from radioactive radon gas exposure?  The answer is “you!”  The next question is: “Why should you be concerned?”  Radon exposure increases your chance of lung cancer—it is the leading environmental cause of cancer mortality and the leading cause of death in the home.  The solid radioactive particles emitted from radon gas can be inhaled into the lungs.  The risk of the adverse health effect of radon exposure—lung cancer—increases proportionately with increasing radon concentrations and length of time of exposure.  You may be exposed to radon for many years without ever suspecting its presence.  There is no safe level of radon.  The World Health Organization uses 2.7 picocuries per liter of air (pCi/L) as a reference level to take action.  The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency indicates that if your level is between 2-4 pCi/L, you should consider action.

              What is radon?  Radon is an invisible radioactive gas that is emitted from the decay products of uranium in the ground beneath our structures:  homes, schools, churches, and workplaces.  It can seep into our indoor environment through sump pits, floor joints, openings around basement pipes, and other openings or cracks in the foundation

              Where is radon found?  Elevated levels of radon have been found in every state in the U.S. as well as throughout the world. It can be present in any type of structure: old, new, basement, no basement, brick or frame.

              How to test is simple.  A short-term test (3 to 7 days) can be purchased online or at a local hardware store.  A long-term device (91 days to a year)--referred to as alpha track--can be found from vendors such as RSSI, AccuStar, Pro-Lab, and Radtrak.  You can also hire certified professional testors who are listed on these websites:  www.nrpp.info/radon_measurement_service.shtml or www.nrsb.org or http://www.epa.gov/radon/whereyoulive.html.   The only way to know if you are living with high levels of radon is to test!

              Where should you place the test device?  If the home has a basement, place it there.  If there is no basement, place it in the bedroom or family room.  Be sure to read the directions on the test device carefully.

              When to test is up to you; now is a great time!  It is important that the doors and windows stay closed 12 hours before the test begins.  In the winter, that is easy.  January is National Radon Action Month; however, each month should be considered radon action month!

              How you can protect yourself and others?  The answer is through education and action.  If your level is elevated, contact a certified radon professional to install a radon mitigation system for you.  If a mitigation system is properly installed, it can reduce your radon level by up to 95%.  You can find a certified radon mitigator in your area on these sites:  www.nrpp.inf/radon_mitigation_service.shtml or www.nsb.org or http://www.epa.gov/radon/whereyou live.htm. 

              What you can also do includes contacting your state legislators and informing them about your concern over the lack of awareness, education, and action needed to protect you and others from this silent killer—radon-- that is so unknown to so many of our citizens.  You can find out about the state radon laws at www.eli.org/buildings.   Click on radon topic to see a list of radon publications by the Environmental Law Institute including a database of all the state radon laws which is updated annually.  Remember, you are the one who can protect yourself and others by sharing your knowledge of the danger of radioactive radon gas exposure with your friends, family, neighbors, and legislators.  Please take action today.  The following agencies strongly urge you to test for radon and reduce concentrations as needed to protect your health and the health of your family:  American Medical Association, Center for Disease Control, National Cancer Institute, National Academy of Science, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Public Health Service and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Gloria Linnertz
December 19, 2016
Citizens for Radioactive Radon Reduction.org

Monday, September 26, 2016

WORLD ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH DAY--September 26, 2016





 

People in all communities deserve clean indoor air. Work to get environmental health professionals, health care providers, officials, local leaders, legislators, and businessmen and women to advocate for healthy communities with education (awareness and notification), policy change, code enforcements and outreach to help prevent the leading environmental cause of cancer mortality--radioactive radon gas exposure!

Monday, July 11, 2016

First Annual Radon Awareness Act Day--August 16, 2016

Thursday, April 28, 2016

Pilot Project Launched to Help You Test Your Home for Radon



Do you know a person whose life has been impacted by lung cancer? We are sorry for these unfortunate circumstances and are trying to reduce the number of persons with this all too common disease. The Citizens for Radioactive Radon Reduction, a non-profit organization dedicated to reducing lung cancer due to radon, wants to help you estimate your radon exposure and the risk it poses to your health. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. It can significantly increase the lung cancer risk for both never smokers and smokers.

Donations and volunteer expert services have made it possible for us to offer Free advanced radon measurements* to lung cancer patients, their family or friends who want to know what their radon exposure at home and what can be done about it. We are studying the effectiveness of a new radon measuring method because some people find current radon measurement technologies challenging to use and difficult to interpret.

After you have completed your short-term and long-term radon measurements, you will have a better understanding of your exposure to radon and have enough information to decide what radon reduction actions public health organizations would recommend. Your results and contact information will be kept private. We hope that your participation in this project may lead you to want to spark some interest and awareness of radon exposure and lung cancer risk in your community so that other persons, who you do not know, may be helped to avoid lung cancer.

To participate, you must agree to:
• Provide your contact information: mailing address, email address, phone number
• Communicate with us primarily via email (phone contact as a backup)
• Make the radon measurements according to the instructions
• Use the pre-paid mailers to return the electronic radon meter to us and the other detectors to the analysis labs on time
• Share your radon results with the study ‘s technical director
• Complete a post-measurement survey about your experience and any radon reduction actions you plan
What we agree to do:
• Supply free radon detectors including postage and a technical “help line”
• Contact you in advance to see when you are able to make the measurements in the near future
• Protect your privacy by keeping confidential your name and radon results;
o only the study’s technical director will know the code connecting your name with your radon results
o your contact information will not be shared with any other party or organization
• Help you interpret your radon results. When you complete the measurements, you will have a solid basis to decide what actions you can take.
• Provide information to help you mitigate your house if you decide to do so.
• Help you “spread the word” (if you want) to others who might want to know about their radon exposure.

Note: A limited number of detector kits are available on a first-come-first served basis.
*State laws or regulations requiring special approval of detectors, licenses and/or fees even for free distribution of radon detectors to home owners do not allow us to enroll participants from New Jersey, Florida, Iowa (awaiting review), and Maine. Sorry that, at this time, our budget will not allow participants in Alaska or Hawaii.

If you want to participate please send an email stating your wish to info@Citizens4RadonReduction.org
CRRR study PHONE 618 830 4660 for questions
We will send you a follow-up email with enrollment instructions for you to complete and return.

Saturday, March 12, 2016

Is Your Home a Death Trap--What You Need to Know about Radon in Your Home

This is an excellent article.  Please read and share. Share with your legislators.  http://realestate.usnews.com/real-estate/articles/is-your-home-a-death-trap-what-you-need-to-know-about-radon-in-your-home/

Monday, January 4, 2016

WHAT DOES JANUARY MEAN TO YOU?



Ten years ago January was just another cold month to me with no specific significance. Does January have any special meaning for you? January is “National Radon Action Month” in case you didn’t know.  During the last ten years, I have become educated about what radon is and what it can do.  Through the course of these ten years, I have made friends with and followed the Caring Bridge journals of Susan in Oregon, Monica in South Carolina, Lori in Iowa, Janet in Canada, Liz in Wisconsin and so many others on face book and news stories who have shared their lives and stories of how lung cancer invaded their lives due to high levels of radon in their indoor environments. Yes, ten years ago my home was also invaded by this demon—lung cancer—and took my husband, Joe, from his earthly physical presence; and I discovered the likely cause was the presence of high levels of radon gas in our home.  Now in addition to November having a meaning for me—National Lung Cancer Awareness Month--January signifies Nation Radon Action Month.  In the last ten years I’ve spoken to hundreds of legislators throughout our nation, given hundreds of presentations and talks about the danger of radioactive radon gas throughout the nation, and shared our story ( Joe’s and mine) and that of so many others with groups and audiences; but as you know now I’m ten years older, and I pray (although I will continue as long as possible) that others will learn and educate themselves and their families, neighbors, medical staffs, and legislators about actions that can be taken to help prevent radon-related lung cancer. The friends that I’ve made in the name of protecting our citizens from radon exposure in the medical communities, legislative arenas, and radon industry are also ten years older; and we need educated, trained, enthusiastic, and dedicated individuals in all realms of our society to join with us and continue to make a difference with radon reduction action.  Yes, January now means “Radon Action Month” to me and I hope it does to you also.
Gloria Linnertz
seascape@htc.net
Citizens for Radioactive Radon Reduction