By Margaret Henderson
Spanning a three-year period, the Minnesota Department of Health conducted a project that targeted in-home family child care providers. The project involved 653 child care providers that conducted healthy home assessments. The homes involved had an estimated 1,437 residents and 6,123 children cared for who benefited from this project.
Of the 653 providers, 509 tested for radon and of those, 468 had valid radon test results. Results ranging from less than 0.3 pCi/L to 39.1 pCi/L, had a median value of 3.9 pCi/L. Based on factors such as radon concentration, number of children in child care and household income, mitigation systems were installed in 40 homes. The Minnesota Department of Health reports that “all 40 homes were mitigated for radon with a mean post-mitigation concentration of 1.3 pCi/L, down from 11.3 pCi/L before mitigation.”
Both the Minnesota Healthy Homes Strategic Plan (2012) and State Indoor Radon Grant (SIRG) Final Report (2014) address the importance of radon to the health of Minnesota residents. (The Minnesota Department of Health Indoor Air Unit receives funds from the EPA’s State Indoor Radon Grant (SIRG) for the purpose of protecting the health of the public from the risks of radon related lung cancer.) Dan Tranter, Supervisor, estimates that, approximately 40% of radon tests of Minnesota homes in general resulted in levels greater than 4.0 pCi/L, the EPA recommended action level for mitigation. Approximately 80% of Minnesota counties are in a “high” radon zone. The department designed a project to focus on in-home family child care providers with the assumption that these facilities would likely have similar test results. The stated goal of the project was “to promote an integrated approach to reducing exposure to indoor air contaminants in homes that also function as child care settings.”
The project began in October 2012 and concluded in the spring of 2015 with objectives that in-home family child providers would:
• learn about indoor hazards through web-based training materials;
• assess their homes for hazards, including radon testing; and
• implement recommendations to control hazards, including assistance with radon mitigation.
This project goal’s focal point was radon testing and mitigation in an effort to reduce exposure to indoor radon in homes. A future goal will be to increase the number of homes tested and inact other improvements as indicated by assessment of the entire project.
For more information about this project, contact:
Dan Tranter, M.P.H.
Supervisor
Indoor Air Unit
P.O. Box 64975
St. Paul, MN 55164
Office: (651) 201-4618
Mobile: (651) 331-6548
Fax: (651) 201-4606
Web: www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/air
Radon: http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/indoorair/radon/index.html
Healthy Homes website:
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/homes/forpartners/homechildcare.html
Minnesota Department of Health
Indoor Environments & Radiation Section
Indoor Air Unity State Indoor Radon Grant 22-24 Final Report, October 1, 2011- September 30, 2014
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/indoorair/radon/sirgreport12014.pdf
United States