National Radon Action Month is January 1 - 31,
2003
U.S. EPA headquarters and the National Cooperative
Partners (which is comprised of national, state and
local governments, non-profit organizations and
educational institutions) are committed to several
National Radon Action Month (NRAM)
activities again this year. The action with the most
impact is taken at the local level and begins with
local affiliates making real progress toward reducing
radon risks in American homes.
Find out more...
National Radon Action Month 2003 Poster Contest Winner!
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Among many activities, EPA partners with the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) and their
extension services, the National Safety Council, state and local government agencies and other not-for-profit and commercial
organizations to conduct an annual national poster contest to heighten awareness of radon. The national poster contest concludes
with the winner and their parent(s) or guardian brought to EPA Headquarters for an award ceremony and a photo opportunity with
the EPA Administrator and other top-level officials. This year's poster winner is a 6th grader from North Carolina who received a
plaque and congratulations from Administrator Whitman, Dr. Colien Hefferan, Administrator of the Cooperative State Research, Education
and Extension Service at USDA and representatives from partners in ongoing radon outreach efforts. The winning poster will be distributed
across the country as part of radon public awareness efforts.
EPA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture jointly sponsors a National Poster Contest during National Radon Action Week (October 2002). You can get more information on the
poster contest at http://www.montana.edu/wwwcxair/
EPA Administrator Whitman Urges Home Testing for Radon, Commemorates
National Radon Action Month [En Español] - Everyone
should test their homes for one of the leading causes of lung cancer in the country: indoor radon gas. In some areas of the country,
as many as one out of two homes has high levels of radon. Radon levels can soar during the colder months when residents keep windows
and doors closed and spend more time indoors. "Twenty-two thousand people die from lung cancer each year in the United States from
exposure to indoor radon", Whitman said. "Yet Americans could help prevent these deaths and protect their families by testing their
homes for radon as soon as possible."
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National Radon Results - 1985-1999
Since the mid-1980s the United States
has made significant progress in reducing the risk from
exposure to radon. This progress is the result of a
long-term effort between EPA, citizens, non-profit
organizations, state and local governments, the business
community, and other Federal agencies working together.
More adult Americans are knowledgeable about radon than
at any time since the mid-1980s, when radon became a
National health concern. Approximately two-thirds (66%)
of Americans are generally aware of radon, and of those,
three-quarters (75%, on average) understand that radon
is a health hazard. Since the mid-1980s, about 18
million homes have been tested for radon and about
500,000 of them have been mitigated. Approximately 1.8
million new homes have been built with radon-resistant
features since 1990. EPA will continue to focus its
efforts, and those of its partners, on achieving actual
risk reduction through the mitigation of existing homes
and the building of new homes to be radon-resistant.
EPA’s estimates of risk reduction are predicated upon
mitigation systems being properly installed, operated
and maintained. As a result of these actions to reduce
radon levels in homes through 1999, EPA estimates that
approximately 350 future lung cancer deaths will be
prevented each year. This annual rate is expected to
rise as radon levels are lowered in more new and
existing homes. Download the Adobe Acrobat
PDF version of the report (radonresults85-99.pdf
a 3.5MB file).
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