Abstract for Pennsylvania Health Equity Summit 2019

011      Community Outreach for Lung Cancer Prevention through Radon Testing in Homes, Including Those in High Priority Areas Throughout Pennsylvania

Gloria J. Linnertz, and Jacquelyn E. Nixon Citizens for Radioactive Radon Reduction (CRR) Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, PA

Background: Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers and causes approximately 21,000 deaths annually from lung cancer according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Pennsylvania (PA) has some of the highest concentrations in the U.S.  Although there have been strides acknowledging the risk, radon testing and mitigation are still correspondingly low and appear to reflect the general public’s belief that their risks from radon are lower than the risks faced by others. Our community outreach: Citizens for Radioactive Radon Reduction (CR3), a nationwide advocacy nonprofit organization, addresses the need for stronger public engagement, greater outreach, and targeted radon awareness initiatives on an “ongoing” statewide level with more aggressive campaigns that emphasize radon as a cause of lung cancer. CR3 outreach initiatives include:  “Teachers for Radon Reduction” which brings teachers, parents, and others together in an effort to encourage radon testing in schools throughout PA. “CR3 Support for PA House Bill 1057” - encourages PA to support passing a law requiring radon testing of all schools in PA. “CR3 News Magazine” -- the only magazine in the world dedicated to radon and lung cancer-- in every healthcare facility with the express purpose of informing the nonsmoking lung cancer patient and medical community about radon as a possible cause.  “Radon Results Reported to Physicians” -- a radon health care alert that would report radon levels to physicians regarding patient exposure at the time of testing upon the request of the individual and would provide a platform for physician analysis of a patient’s risk from exposure. Alerting the physician could possibly trigger additional analysis and add value to the ability to properly diagnose lung cancer, strengthen the process of the early detection of radon, improve benchmark statistics that support national monitoring of progress towards radon-related lung cancer reduction, and possibly help save lives from this mostly unknown killer. “(MOVeS) for Radon Project” – Partnered with PA AARST in the development of outreach services for free radon testing and mitigation of homes in Pittsburgh. These initiatives combined aim to help address environmental equity and lung cancer prevention.