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The text of the bill can be found at http://www.aarst.org/images/Radon_Bill_4-28-10.pdf
Text of American Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists Press Release April 30, 2010
Dear Radon Professionals and Advocates:
Please consider forwarding the following press release to your local media.
For Release: April 30, 2010 - Noon Eastern (Saint Paul, Minnesota) BILL INTRODUCED TO COUNTER GROWING RADON HEALTH RISK IN HOMES On Friday, April 30, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar announced introduction of a bill to reduce elevated radon in U.S. homes and schools. The Indoor Radon Exposure Abatement and Detection Act of 2010 is the first Congressional action to address indoor radon health risks in 15 years. Radon is a radioactive soil gas that seeps into homes and schools and causes more than 20,000 lung cancer deaths per year. Indoor radon concentrations are the result of the way homes and schools are designed and built as well due to subtle air pressure differences between the indoors and the soil. The number of U.S. homes with radon concentrations above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Threshold for Action has increased over the past 20 years, according to William Angell, President of the American Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists. The EPA's threshold is 4 picoCurie per Liter. PicoCuries per Liter (pCi/L) is a measure of the concentration of radon. The risk of dying from lung cancer caused by indoor radon at 4 pCi/L to the general population is about one in 50. Angell notes, based upon new health evidence, that the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended a more protective radon control limit one-third lower than the EPA's 4 pCi/L threshold. Angell has chaired the WHO's Radon Prevention and Mitigation Working Group. Klobuchar's bill includes new Federal initiatives for certification and licensing of radon testing laboratories and professionals, testing and mitigation of radon threats in federally owned housing, school radon testing and reduction, greater radon control in new homes, notification of radon to home buyers, and research and development. Elizabeth Hoffmann, Founder and President of Cancer Survivors Against Radon, applauded the bill and said, these actions are long overdue. Hoffmann, a never smoker, was diagnosed at 37 years of age with lung cancer that was attributed to elevated radon concentrations in her Milwaukee-area home. For Further Information American Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists Contact: Peter Hendrick, AARST Executive Director, director@aarst.org 603-756-9259
William Angell, AARST President, wangell@umn.edu 612-624-6786
Download Proposed Legislation and AARST Summary Analysis Available at 1:00 PM Eastern: Go To: http://www.aarst.org
Science and Policy Reference Links:
Unscear July 21, 2009 United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation http://www.unscear.org/docs/Radon-distrib.pdf WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION RADON HAND BOOK http://www.who.int/phe/radiation/backgrounder_radon/en/index.html International Commission on Radiological Protection Statement on Radon http://www.icrp.org/icrp_radon.asp Position Statement of the Health Physics Society http://hps.org/documents/radon_position_statement_background_document.pdf |