By Margaret Henderson
Florida is not strictly undisturbed lands for which maps can predict the geology and what areas may have excessive radon levels. In some cases, barrow ditches 200 feet deep have been excavated and soils removed to other areas. In Florida, there has been considerable digging and rearranging of the soils, by mankind and by nature, over time; that and other unique circumstances have caused Florida’s Radon Program to evolve to continually provide the best possible health protection.
The Radon program was created with three primary missions:
- To educate and inform the public about radon and its health effects.
- To protect the public from deceptive radon measurement and mitigation practices by certifying radon professionals.
- To administrate the state mandatory radon testing program of all State licensed, regulated, owned or operated 24 hour care facilities, Public and private schools grades K through 12, and State licensed day care centers.
Having been with the program since the late 1980s, Clark Eldredge can trace the program’s evolution, beginning in the 1980s after the initial radon study results indicated that radon could be found anywhere in Florida. At that time, he explained, “The belief was that one state code was the right thing.” This thinking was modified later to tailor the approach to target areas with three varying zones of interest and also to address issues for (1) single family and duplex housing and then (2) “all others.”
In the previous decade, population growth and increased building contributed to the changing focus of the program. The 2006-07 building boom in Florida advanced the need for the program’s efforts in protecting the public. The influx of people from other states brought “radon-aware” residents. That lead to more testing, and currently that remains the case, particularly among high-rise dwellers.
Some aspects of Florida building codes provide inherently for radon resistant construction, such as the requirement for all slabs to have vapor barriers. Other codes, such as those hurricane efficiency and protection for high-rise buildings create issues of concern regarding radon. “With high efficiency and low air exchange rates in those type buildings, radon from building materials can create atmospheres with excessive levels,” Clark explains.
Outreach to builders and an on-going statistical examination of test results are examples of two ways the program is addressing the radon issues in particular.
The program provides Readily Remediated New Construction (Radon Resistant New Construction) Training and partners with the Florida Homebuilder Association, reaching 200 or more builders each year. Builders in Florida must be licensed and this training constitutes credits toward that licensure. The department’s website provides a list of construction contractors that have attended the Department of Health's sponsored Florida Homebuilders Association trainings.
See Radon Aware Builders http://www.floridahealth.gov/environmental-health/radon/maps/rrnc-training.html
The department is also involved in the Leon County Radon Study. Over the past 20 years, 3300 test results have been collected. These results are being statistically examined, considering numerous variables, in order to determine how self-collected data may be used reliably to predict radon levels. This study, underway currently, will be valuable in validating how self-collected data may be used in a national database, which would lead to the development of accurate up-to-date radon maps.
For more information on the program, contact:
Clark Eldredge
Radon and Indoor Air Program
Bureau of Epidemiology
Division of Disease Control & Health Protection
Florida Department of Health
Telephone: 850-245-4288 and Toll Free 800-543-8279
http://www.floridahealth.gov/environmental-health/radon/index.html
United States