In this Issue:
Newsletter Links:
Sponsored by the
Utah Department of
Environmental Quality
Gov. Huntsman Declares January “Radon Action Month”
To Boy Scout Troop 115, radon is not a video game but an opportunity to contribute to public health.
The Cottonwood Heights Boy Scout Troop has spent the last few months producing an educational video on the dangers of indoor radon, an odorless gas and the second leading cause of respiratory problems, second only to smoking. The Troop will debut the video at a community meeting in January.
“Not many people know about radon,” said Matt Easton, 11, of Troop 115. “It is really dangerous and we thought it would be good to do something about radon so we can get a better understanding of it.”
The Troop needed an environmental project to receive the Hornaday Award, named after William Hornaday, the first curator of the New York Zoo and noted conservationist.
Scoutmaster Steve Chambers, vice president of Zions First National Bank, researched some options.
“I started to call around to places to see if there was anything they needed help with. Various organizations suggested projects like cleaning up highways or pulling weeds, which are great projects but not significant enough. So I contacted the Department of Environmental Quality and Leah Ann Lamb, director of the Office of Planning and Public Affairs, gave me some suggestions, including radon. I liked that idea because it was something we could do within the Troop’s boundaries and benefit our neighborhood.”
“Radon is such an important issue,” Lamb said. “Since most people spend the majority of their time at home, home is where radon levels may be of concern. The Division of Radiation Control (DRC) has an Indoor Radon Outreach Program that I thought it would be a great resource for the Scouts.”
January is National Radon Awareness Month. Gov. Jon Huntsman, Jr. also has declared January “Radon Action Month” to encourage Utah homeowners to test for radon.
Radon occurs naturally from decaying radium and can build to unhealthy levels when it seeps through foundations into a home. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) current action level for residential radon is 4.0 picocuries per liter.
“Testing for radon is the only way to find out if a radon problem exists,” said John Hultquist, health physics support manager for DRC who oversees the state’s Indoor Radon Program, funded by a grant from EPA. “About 900 radon tests are conducted each year, resulting in 150 mitigation systems installed in households in 2005,” he added.
Philip Griffin, program coordinator for the Indoor Radon Program, is excited to work with the Scouts to increase awareness. “It is efforts like these that really make a difference,” he said.
Environmental officials say radon may cause up to 20,000 lung cancer deaths each year.
Matt’s mother, Liz Easton, admits she didn’t know much about radon before her son enthusiastically embraced this project. Her husband, however, helped a family member install a radon mitigation system.
“It is fun to see Matt so interested in this,” Liz said.
To Matt, it’s a matter of life and death. “I hope people will learn more about radon,” he said. “Maybe it will lead to fewer deaths.”
For more information, visit: http://www.radon.utah.gov.