ScottR
Chief Bottle Washer
Joined: Feb 11, 2006
Posts: 332
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 Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2009 2:24 pm Post subject: Radon Test Info |
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| Quote: | Fox Valley radon count high - Experts suggest testing - reme
Something rather startling lurks deep in an otherwise-rosy University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute report on the regional population's health.
While Outagamie, Calumet and Winnebago county residents scored among the state's healthiest on the study's broadest measures, their homes were among the sickest, the most contaminated with radon gas, the second-leading cause of lung cancer overall and primary cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers.
Waupaca County, which already ranked in the state's lower half on the study's broadest measures, came in 72nd of 73 for radon contamination. The study ranked all of the state's 72 counties and the city of Milwaukee. Outagamie, Winnebago and Calumet ranked 54th, 64th and 55th, respectively.
"If the public knew how bad it was, there'd be an uprising," says David Daniels, of Radon Specialists of Wisconsin, Neenah. Daniels is listed among the radon remediation contractors the state deems "proficient." "What's astonishing is that if radon is such a huge problem, it's not regulated in Wisconsin."
Wisconsin, unlike some other states, does not require builders to install passive radon mitigation systems in new residential homes, and does not license remediation contractors.
Radon is a naturally occurring, odorless gas that enters homes through any openings it can find. Yet, ironically, the more tightly a house is sealed and insulated, the greater the likelihood of radon contamination. Any home, however, may be susceptible to radon.
"The geology of the area has the highest impact," says Michelle Schwoch from the Marathon County Health Department — one of the state's 16 regional radon information centers. "It comes from the break-down of uranium that is found in trace amounts in some granite formations. The higher the uranium content, the higher the likelihood that radon will be found in higher concentrations in the home environment. Other factors, like construction materials and weather conditions, can also affect the level of radon drawn into the home environment."
Radon is measured in "pico Curies per Liter" or pCi/L. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, American homes average 1.3 pCi/L. EPA recommends remediation at 4 pCi/L and considers 10 pCi/l dangerous. The average home in Wisconsin comes in at more than 2 pCi/L and many of the state's counties exceed the 4 pCi/L level.
The study uses data collected in 2006, showing that, overall, 13 percent of reported radon measurements in Outagamie and Calumet counties exceeded 10 pCi/L. More than 15 percent of the Winnebago County tests fell into the danger zone, while Waupaca posted 20 percent for a rank of 72 out of 73.
But the countywide numbers don't reflect more dramatic spikes within those counties. Some homes in Outagamie County, for example, registered readings of 100 pCi/L or more. The highest reading in zip code 54115 was 230. Waupaca County's highest reading was an off-the-charts 687 pCI/L. Three zip code areas in Waupaca County averaged more than 10.7 on every test reported.
Perhaps even more troubling, the results only come from houses that were tested. For example, the data for Outagamie County comes from the 6,353 homes measured in 2006.
Home inspector Jim Weyenberg of HouseMaster in Appleton doesn't test for radon unless the buyer or relocation company asks him to.
"Throughout the Fox Valley, pretty regularly, 65-75 percent will come back in the high rating," Weyenberg said. "Some areas, because of the geology of the area and the tightness of the houses, I can just about guarantee (elevated readings)."
Home test kits are inexpensive, and Weyenberg thinks they're very reliable, assuming the homeowner follows the instructions, and recommends testing for both health and financial reasons. A bad reading can hold up the sale of a home.
"Test your home," Weyenberg said. "That way it won't become an issue when you go to sell your house."
Daniels encounters a fair number of people who think radon is bunk, despite what the Environmental Protection Agency, the World Health Organization and the U.S. Surgeon General all say.
"People who've tested their homes? It's less than 10 percent," he said. Part of the resistance, he suspects, is that there's nobody to blame if the numbers exceed the EPA benchmarks. Homeowners have to pay for remediation, which may run anywhere from $500 to $1,000.
"It's not manmade like asbestos," Daniels said. "Nobody hears about huge legal settlements involving radon because there aren't any. Radon is no-fault. It just happens. You can't sue a builder. That's the biggest reason it's not regulated."
Daniels thinks Wisconsin's building codes should require radon-resistant construction. A passive system runs about $300. The Menasha Public Health Department's sanitarian, who has nothing to gain financially from radon remediation, agrees, but encourages homeowners to ask for it anyway.
"If I were going to build a house in this area, I would absolutely put in a radon resistant system," said Todd Drew, the department's sanitarian.
Considering the region's radon-richness, one might expect to see a direct correlation between lung cancer incidences and radon. But the county-by-county data for both measures don't pan out that way.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, for example, between 2000-04, the lung cancer incidence for Waupaca County — the state's second worst for radon contamination in 2006 — was 63.6 per 100,000. The state's average was 65.2 per 100,000. Likewise, lung cancer incidences in Outagamie, Winnebago and Calumet counties were all lower than the state average.
The apparent noncorrelation has to do with variables, explains Conrad Weiffenbach with the state Bureau of Environmental and Occupational Health.
"There are much better ways to do epidemiology than geography," he said. Even though radon is related to soil, that can vary significantly by county and even within a zip code, Weiffenbach said. Other factors include cigarette smoking, age (radon exposure is cumulative), occupational exposures and diet.
"It gets very complicated very fast," Weiffenbach said. "There are lots of fascinating variables, but the bottom line is: Get yourself a test kit."
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