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Radon

Radon. Navajo Nation Environmental Protection Agency Air & Toxics Department/Radon Program. History. “ Unknown” lung disease in miners in the 1400’s. 1879 autopsies of European miners: lung cancer ( lymphosarcoma ), called “mountain sickness”.

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Radon

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  1. Radon Navajo Nation Environmental Protection Agency Air & Toxics Department/Radon Program

  2. History • “Unknown” lung disease in miners in the 1400’s. • 1879 autopsies of European miners: lung cancer (lymphosarcoma), called “mountain sickness”. • Excess lung cancer deaths observed in uranium miners in U.S., Czechoslovakia, France, and Canada. • Excess lung cancer deaths in other underground miners in Newfoundland, Sweden, Britain, France, China, and U.S. • Studies of Navajo uranium miners (no smoking) ruled out smoking as the cause. • i

  3. What Is It? • Radon is a tasteless, colorless, odorless gas • Radon is naturally occurring and can be found all over the U.S.

  4. Health Effects • Approximately 15,000-20,000 lung cancer deaths per year • Classified scientifically as a “known human carcinogen” (Class A) • Second leading cause of lung cancer after tobacco smoke • Based on studies by the National Academy of Sciences, the National Cancer Institute, the Centers for Disease Control, and others

  5. How Does Radon Get Into Your Home? • Radon gets in through: • Cracks in Solid Floors • Construction Joints • Cracks in Walls • Gaps in Suspended Floors • Gaps around Service Pipes • Cavities Inside Walls • The Water Supply* • I

  6. Radon Numbers for the Reservation

  7. Radon Action Level The USEPA, Surgeon General, and Navajo Nation EPA Recommend Reducing Levels Below 4 pCi/L BUT, there is no ‘safe’ level –lower is better

  8. Identifying a Radon Problem • Short Term Testing • Remain in your home from 2 to 90 days • Types of Testing Apparatus • Charcoal Canisters • Alpha Track Monitors • Electret Ion Chamber • Continuous Monitors • Charcoal Liquid Scintillation • Good for Quick Results but less likely to give you an average yearly Radon level

  9. Identifying a Radon Problem • Long Term Testing • Remain in your home for more than 90 Days • Types of Testing Apparatus • Alpha Track • Electret Detector • Better for learning your year-round Radon average exposure

  10. Fixing a Radon Problem • Most Common Approach is: • Active Soil Depressurization • ASD systems consist of a plastic pipe extending from the soil to a point above the roof, with an in-line fan which generates a slight “vacuum” in the soil and draws the radon into the system rather than allowing it to enter the house. • Works because the soil “sucks” on the house, rather than house “sucking” on the soil

  11. EPA Recommendations • Test your home for Radon – It’s easy and inexpensive • Fix your home if your Radon level is 4 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) or higher • Radon levels less than 4 pCi/L still pose a risk, and in many cases it can be reduced

  12. Contact Information • Who you gonna call??? • John Plummer (928) 871-7703/6790 • Terron Chischilly (928) 871-7863 • Nolan Hoskie (928) 871-7863 Radon

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