by Margaret Henderson
Governors of several states began National Radon Action Month with proclamations and referred citizens to the respective state programs for more information. Each gave an indication of the potential radon concentrations in their states and the importance of testing and mitigating. The state programs use a variety of methods to communicate with the public, based on their strategic approaches.
Michigan
Radon Action Month in Michigan began with a proclamation from the governor, stating that elevated radon levels can be found in every Michigan county and that in some counties, more than 50 percent of the homes tested had elevated levels and that 27 percent of all results of radon tests conducted statewide exceeded the EPA recommended action level of 4 pCi/L. http://www.michigan.gov/documents/deq/2013_Radon_Proc-portrait_size_408782_7.pdf
Radiological Protection Section of the Resource Management Division of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality is the home of the Michigan Indoor Radon Program. The program is a non-regulatory program that works to:
- increase awareness of the health risk associated with exposure to elevated indoor radon levels;
- encourage testing for radon, and;
- encourage citizens to take action to reduce their exposure once elevated radon levels are found.
Contact for more information:
radon@michigan.gov or by telephone at 800-RADON GAS.
Colorado
In Colorado, the governor’s proclamation noted that approximately 50 percent of homes have radon in excess of the recommended levels and 64 Colorado Counties are rated as high risk for radon.
The department’s website provides information about testing and mitigation at
https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/testing-your-home-radon.
Additionally, the department has given attention to behavorial factors influencing testing and mitigation. See:
Improving Voluntary Residential Radon Mitigation: Fort Collins Behavioral Study, a webinar https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/radon-webinar
and
Colorado Radon Awareness and Household Testing:
Results from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a publication at http://www.colorado.gov/pacific/sites/default/files/HM_radon-study-of-awareness-and-behavior_1.pdf
For more information about radon in Colorado, contact:
Chrystine Kelley
Radon Program coordinator
303-692-3442
1-800-846-3986
chrys.kelley@state.co.us
Virginia
Virginia’s govern proclaimed radon action month explaining that 46 of Virginia's 95 counties and 15 of 38 cities are rated as high risk for elevated radon, and 24 counties and 8 cities are classified as moderate risk.
Virginia Department of Health’s (VDH) Radon Program provides web-based bulletins to inform the public about radon. The Program uses a variety of means to communicate with the public including its website, social media, billboards, presentations and conducting training courses.
For more information, contact:
Ryan Paris, Radon Coordinator
General number: (804) 864-8161
Fax number: (804) 864-8165
Email: Ryan.Paris@vdh.virginia.gov
Georgia
In Georgia, the governor noted that any home in the state may have elevated radon levels and that the University of Georgia’s College of Family and Consumer Sciences, and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs encourage Georgians to test their homes for radon. https://gov.georgia.gov/sites/gov.georgia.gov/files/related_files/document/Radon%20Action%20Month%202015.pdf
Since the program’s inception, the program educators have now conducted more than 1,500 programs, reaching thousands of homeowners, students, parents, physicians, heath care workers, and various community groups in Georgia through this strategic approach.
For further information, contact:
University of Georgia, College of Family and Consumer Sciences
http://www.fcs.uga.edu/extension/home-radon
Gabrielle Walters, CHES, MPH
Radon Educator
University of Georgia
228 Hoke Smith Annex
Athens, GA 30602
706-583-0602
United States