By Margaret Henderson
In 2014, the State of Washington launched its Washington Tracking Network (WTN), A Source for Environmental Public Health Data. This web-based, data query application serves as an important outreach tool for members of the public who are interested in radon levels in their state. While the test results conform to the predicted radon levels shown on the EPA zone map for Washington, with northeast, southeast and lower central Washington expected to have levels exceeding 4pCi/L (EPA’s recommended action level), Mike Brennan of the state’s Radon Program notes that testing is the only way to know the radon concentrations in your own home.
The WTN is a helpful tool that allows data to be accessed and visualized by the consumer. The database contains test results from 1990 to the present and allows the user to select years and areas of interest, such as data statewide, or data from the 40 counties and 743 zip code areas in Washington. For instance, in 2013, by searching Spokane County, the user will learn that of the 190 test results, 36.3% exceeded the 4pCi/L action level. While this doesn’t tell someone in Spokane County what the radon level in their own home may be, it provides good motivation to test since more than 1/3 of the results indicate excessive levels. Statewide, for that same period, 24.2% of the 1486 test results exceeded the action level, making it apparent that testing your own home would be a good idea regardless of where in Washington you live.
The WTN has allowed the state to provide data for the consumer in a way that is easy to access and conserves personnel time, reserving that for providing expert one-on-one advice and explanations to the public from someone who is not vested in the provision of test kits or mitigation services. This expertise is provided by telephone and email, responding to approximately 1200 inquiries and exchanges of information per year. Mr. Brennan, the Radiation Health Physicist who answers those inquiries, notes that people are generally in a receptive mood when learning about radon. “They are looking for information and are delighted to get answers to their questions that will aid them in making decisions to test or mitigate excessive radon levels.”
For more information about radon issues in Washington, contact Mike Brennan at 360-236-3253.
Radon Program
http://www.doh.wa.gov/DataandStatisticalReports/EnvironmentalHealth/WashingtonTrackingNetworkWTN/Radon
Washington Tracking Network
https://fortress.wa.gov/doh/wtn/WTNPortal/#!q0=449
United States