Handbook of Radon.
34. Radon problems in the United States: why so much fuss?
In the USA millions of houses are thought to have indoor radon levels above the action level of 4 pCi/l (150 Bq/m3). Attributable deaths are estimated at up to 15,000 annually. However, there has been some unease concerning initiatives of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in respect of radon measurements and risk presentation.
Concern over radon monitoring protocols for houses centres on the fact that for years many screening measurements were undertaken in the lowest level, which in the northern States, is often a basement. Houses were declared or classified as affected by radon if one or two basement readings were above 4 pCi/l, despite that this can be a quite normal radon measurement in an underground room.
Average radon levels in the most occupied parts of houses, which are often the ground floor and the first floor, are usually much lower than those in basements.
An additional problem is that there has been undue reliance on short-term tests using charcoal canisters, despite that radon levels may be more constant in basements than in other rooms.
The EPA has been accused of having presented a distorted picture of radon over many years. Indeed, their aims seem to have been consistently to overestimate the problem and to exaggerate the risks. Issue of the 1992 edition of the Citizens Guide to Radon was a lengthy process, but scientists consider that it is a great improvement over early EPA-inspired drafts.
For many years, considerable effort was devoted in Washington to 'hyping up' radon and encouraging concern in houses which could reasonably be left ten or twenty years. Less effort than might seem appropriate was directed to finding and curing houses in some of the real hot-spots and that must be presumed to be a substantial danger.
Radon in houses containing more than 150 Bq/m3 in the main living areas may be responsible for 2000 premature deaths annually, compared with about 150 in the UK. It has been claimed by EPA that radon levels in 20% of US houses exceed 4 pCi/l, but the true figure appears to be between 7 or 8%. This compares with around 0.3% in the UK (using a threshold of 200 Bq/m3) but with over 10% in Devon and Cornwall.
Additionally, EPA have claimed that 40% of the estimated total of 15,000 radon-deaths are associated with the high-radon houses, but the true figure may be between 15 and 20%.
In reality, a massive radon remediation program in the USA might prevent around 1500 premature deaths annually. Most of these would be calculated to be amongst smokers, as in the UK.
There is no doubt that the USA has a severe radon problem, but there are many who would question the analyses and motives of some radon administrators. Concern has also been expressed over some State programs - see Section 40. An interesting debate may develop over the next few years, and may extend to Europe.
KEY FACTS:
Radon is accepted to be a major health problem in the USA. Much excellent science has been published in the US to aid understanding and resolution of indoor radon problems. However, EPA's radon division, the body at the centre of radon publicity has been accused of perpetuating myths and bad science in what became a frenzied personalised campaign to have radon accepted as one of the greatest environmental issues of the decade.
Logical analysis of environmental issues does not support the EPA position, see Section 22. State programs have also been criticised, see Section 40.
Readers who doubt the existence of freewheeling billion dollar bandwagons should study the history of other EPA programs, including that on asbestos.