Radon Kills 6x More People than Secondhand Smoke!

Where is the Outrage?

Secondhand smoke is estimated to cause 3,400 lung cancer deaths annually in the U.S. So far, swine flu has killed 4 Americans, and drunk driving kills about 13,000 people each year.  Radon is estimated to cause 25,000 U.S. lung cancer deaths annually.  Laws protect citizens from secondhand smoke and drunk drivers, and millions of dollars are being spent on swine flu prevention, yet except for a very few states that have radon awareness laws, no one is protecting us from deadly radon gas right in our own homes. 

The U.S. EPA, the U.S. Surgeon General, the World Health Organization and many organizations such as the American Lung Association and the American Cancer Society acknowledge that the research on radon is sound and compelling. And yet, although most states, municipalities and the federal government do not allow smoking indoors in public buildings, restaurants, ballparks and – in some localities – public parks and beaches, no law exists in the U.S. that requires citizens to protect themselves against radon.

Where is the fear? Where is the outrage? Cigarette packs are required to carry a warning about the dangers of smoking. Where are the labels on homes? Where are the requirements to perform a simple radon test on every home to ensure that it does not have high levels of radon? Would you allow your child to play all day in a smoke-filled room? Any rational person would answer No to that question. But do you know whether your child is playing in a room filled with invisible, odorless radon gas? Most people would also have to answer No to that question.

As of today, four people in the U.S. have tragically died from swine flu, a virus that has caused worldwide fear and provided the impetus for prompt government response. Stores could barely keep up with the sudden increased sales of hand sanitizers. Every day, 68 Americans die as a result of radon exposure in their homes. Where is the fear? Where is the public response? Why are radon test kits not flying off the shelves?

According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) in 2007, an estimated 12,998 people died in drunk driving related car crashes. Almost twice that number die from exposure to radon in their homes. Why is there no Mothers Against Radon organization demanding action? Possibly because radon does not kill suddenly and dramatically? A radon related death does not make the headlines. It’s a slow, insidious killer.

Why haven’t our government agencies funded by our tax dollars protected homeowners by responding to the magnitude of this threat to America’s health? Agencies tasked with helping low income Americans to live in decent surroundings have ignored or covered up the radon problem while they spend millions and millions on less deadly risks. Radon is the number one environmental killer in the U.S., so don’t you think that the government should do something?

There is an organization, Cancer Survivors Against Radon (CanSAR), that was founded by radon-induced lung cancer victims. Their primary goal is to make the public aware of the effects of radon and to urge them to test their homes. This is a difficult task, made more difficult by apathy at all levels of government and even among some agencies charged with protecting the public from hazards in indoor air. What makes this difficult task even more difficult is that most of its founders have died from their radon-related disease.

CanSAR’s president, Elizabeth Hoffmann, who has never smoked, discovered that she had lung cancer before her 38th birthday – an innocent victim of radon in her home, a killer she was unaware existed. She has spent the last four years crusading for action against radon in statehouses, in Washington and in small towns – all while courageously fighting a disease that is taking her life. Where is the news media? Where are the camera crews? Why isn’t her cause and her courageous battle made public? Certainly not because she hasn’t tried. But no major network morning shows, no major news media outlets at all, have responded to repeated requests from her and her supporters for media coverage.

Are you outraged yet? You should be, because radon-related deaths are preventable. And radon can be found in any home, old or new – even in your home. Even more disturbing is that buyers of new homes might be told that their home has a "passive radon system" or "RRNC" (Radon Resistant New Construction). This does not make a home radon-proof. The only way you can tell whether you are living with radon in your home is to perform a radon test. A home test kit is inexpensive and easy to use, and you will know in little more than a week whether your home has an elevated radon level.

So if you’re outraged, take action.

1. Begin at home. 

• Test for radon.
• If the radon level is 4.0 pCi/L or higher, call a certified radon professional to fix it.
• Consider fixing your home if the radon level is above 2 pCi/L.

2. Get involved.

• Ask your school officials to include radon education in the curriculum
• Call or write to your local and state health departments and demand more programs and action against radon.
• Write to your local, state and federal representatives and to President Obama (sample letters) demanding action and legislation now. U.S. radon policy for the past 25 years has been to have the EPA administer a "voluntary" program. It hasn’t worked. More Americans are dying from lung cancer caused by radon than ever before.

It’s obvious we can’t wait for the government to protect us from the health effects of radon, nor can we wait for the media to spearhead a news campaign. We need to act now to protect our families and ourselves.

Pat Everett
HomeAire