Index for leading cause of environmental cancer mortality released to empower communities with vital information to support radon-induced lung cancer prevention efforts
LOUISVILLE, Ky., Jan. 12, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- In conjunction with the launch earlier this week of its interactive National Radon Risk Search™ tool, Protect Environmental announced today the release of its inaugural National Radon Risk Index™. The index pulls from the company's comprehensive database of radon test results, which represents more than 2.5 million data points compiled from sources, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as Protect Environmental's own internal testing data, to rank communities across the United States according to their radon risk. The index, which will be updated and published each January in support of National Radon Action Month, ranks communities using the following data points: (1) highest radon level recorded in a building tested within the community; (2) average radon level of all buildings tested within the community; (3) percentage of buildings tested with a radon level above the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) action level of 4.0 pCi/L, within the community; and, (4) highest and lowest percentages of residential buildings characterized for radon risk within the community. The interactive search tool and index are designed to empower communities with vital information to understand the impact of radon in the places where community members live, work, and learn, as well as to assist policymakers with efforts to protect their communities from unsafe exposure to radioactive, cancer-causing radon.
Radon is a naturally occurring colorless, odorless, tasteless, radioactive gas that derives from the breakdown of Uranium. According to the EPA, exposure to the gas is responsible for the deaths of more than 21,000 persons in the United States each year, making it the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers, second overall to smoking for all lung cancer incidents. Radon migrates into buildings through preferential pathways, such as gaps, cracks, and crevices in the building foundation, where it can accumulate in unsafe levels. The only way to know if the occupants of a building are at risk is to test the building. If a problem exists, occupant exposure can be mitigated using effective, efficient, and economical construction methods.
The National Radon Risk Index provides the following insights into radon risk within communities across the United States:
- Highest radon level recorded in a building tested within the community: 7,879.3 pCi/L (Dallas County, TX)
- Highest average radon level of all buildings tested within the community: 53.8 pCi/L (Hinsdale County, CO)
- Highest percentage of buildings tested within the community with a radon level above the EPA's action level of 4.0 pCi/L: 93.8% (Roosevelt County, MT)
- Highest percentage of residential buildings characterized for radon risk within the community: 10.974% (Johnson County, IA)
- Lowest percentage of residential buildings characterized for radon risk within the community: 0.003% (Hidalgo County, TX)
The full rankings contained within the index are available on the company's blog, The Green Scene. To better understand radon risk in communities across the United States, use the Protect Environmental National Radon Risk Search tool.
About Protect Environmental
Protect Environmental is a national leader in the environmental consulting and construction industry, focusing on radon and chemical vapor intrusion management. With a proven track record spanning 18 years and more than 200,000 completed projects in all 50 U.S. states and 2 U.S. territories, the company delivers expert service from its trusted professionals to provide peace of mind protection to property owners seeking to build and maintain healthy, safe, and sustainable indoor environments. For more information, call 502-410-5000 or click on https://www.protectenvironmental.com.
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Media Contact
Andrea Stephens, Protect Environmental, 5024105000, [email protected]
SOURCE Protect Environmental
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