By Margaret Henderson
The State of Alaska has a new brochure on “Radon in Alaska – Current Knowledge and Recommendations,” published October 6, 2015. This State of Alaska Epidemiology Bulletin No. 25 discusses radon information and includes the recommendation that all Alaska residents should test their homes for radon.
Over the past 24 years, Alaska has collected data on radon measurements, from funding from the EPA Radon Outreach Program. Of the 3200 valid test results, 21% had readings in excess of the 4 pCi/L EPA recommended action level.
The new one-page bulletin gives a chart of the findings, by zip code areas and community, and percentage of those test results exceeding 4 pCi/L. In six of the areas, more than 50% of the test results were in excess of 4 pCi/L. Most maximum readings were less than 100 pCi/L, with one outlier of 1355 pCi/L reported. In the Healy/Denali National Park region, 62% of the test results exceeded 4 pCi/L.
This bulletin is a continuing education effort by the Department of Health and Social Services to provide education and encouragement to Alaska residents to test their homes for radon and mitigate if necessary.
See the bulletin at
http://www.epi.alaska.gov/bulletins/docs/b2015_25.pdf
For more information on testing and radon in Alaska, contact:
https://www.uaf.edu/ces/energy/radon/
United States