Radon Awareness and Policy Perspectives on Testing and Mitigation

Abstract

One in three homes in Utah (USA) contains dangerous levels of radon. Except for a radon mitigation certification law, Utah’s radon laws are nonexistent. To determine public perception of state policies on radon testing and mitigation, a social cognitive theory-based 52-item questionnaire was administered to residents (N = 307) who visited the Utah County Health Department (UCHD) during the study period. Respondents were divided into an Environmental Health Group (n = 110), who purchased a radon kit, and Vital Records Control Group (n = 197), who filed/obtained birth/death certificates at UCHD. Ninety percent responded they had never tested their homes for radon, and 99% were not aware of state policies regarding radon. Support for various radon policies was significantly associated with older age (odds ratios (OR): 0.37–0.52), being female (OR: 2.60–7.79), lower annual family income (OR: 2.27), and theoretical constructs of behavioral modeling (OR: 2.31–2.55) and risk perception (OR: 2.55–3.71). To increase awareness, testing, and remediation, respondents suggested increasing public education/awareness, requiring testing in homes, businesses, and public buildings, and increasing access to testing. Multi-sectoral radon risk reduction programs could incorporate behavioral modeling and risk perception as components to create a radon testing and mitigation culture in Utah.

Neurotoxic effects of home radon exposure on oscillatory dynamics serving attentional orienting in children and adolescents

“…Generally, the kits utilized are reliable, but they are susceptible to inaccuracies due to factors such as damp conditions in the location of the test, open doors or windows during the exposure period, and adverse weather at the time of testing. Studies suggest longer-term kits which are exposed for 30 days to one year can more accurately measure radon concentrations within a home, and these tests tend to be more robust against weather-based or seasonal variations ( Novilla et al, 2021 ). Secondly, the test kits used within this study only assess current home radon concentrations.…”

Chronic Home Radon Exposure Is Associated with Higher Inflammatory Biomarker Concentrations in Children and Adolescents

“…Deploying multiple kits simultaneously during multiple seasons would help solidify the reliability of measurements obtained, and help clarify the degree of seasonal variability in the local area; this is a study design limitation that could be easily addressed in future works. Alternatively, studies do suggest that longer-term kits exposed anywhere from 30 days to one year can more accurately measure radon concentrations within a dwelling [21], and these tests do tend to be quite robust against the aforementioned conditions. Second, the test kits used herein only assessed current home radon concentrations.…”

“…For instance, across eastern Nebraska and through the entire state of Iowa, at least 50% of all homes are expected to test above the action limit for indoor radon concentrations [20]. Despite the known pathophysiological risks, and the well-established pattern of high radon concentrations in many parts of the country, much of the general public is unaware of the potential consequences of radon [15,21,22]. Thus, many domiciles remain untested and unmitigated for radon, leaving dwellers chronically exposed to potentially high doses of this ubiquitous environmental toxin.…”

Effects of chronic home radon exposure on cognitive, behavioral, and mental health in developing children and adolescents

“…This is of great importance considering that the home is the greatest source of indoor radon exposure for the majority of people ( Stanley et al, 2019 ). Even so, many homes across the country remain untested and/or unmitigated, leaving a large portion of the population persistently exposed to this environmental toxin ( Wang et al, 2000 ; Vogeltanz-Holm and Schwartz, 2018 ; Novilla et al, 2021 ). This is particularly alarming in light of recent work showing that indoor radon concentrations are actually increasing over time, and staying consistently high across seasons as home construction and the global climate continue to change ( Stanley et al, 2019 ).…”