by Margaret Henderson
Oregon Health Authority, Radon Awareness Program, reaches the public with the message “We understand the science, cheap to test and cheap to fix.” Using the YouTube video, Radon Awareness: Pacific Northwest and Alaska, the health effects of radon and the need to test and mitigate are presented. Discussing the Pacific Northwest, the video explains that the geology of Oregon does not produce much radon, but the sediments brought to the area from Idaho and Canada in the Missoula Floods do and they are the major source of radon in Oregon. The video uses a case study about a woman with radon-induced lung cancer and the effect on her family to emphasize the importance of testing and mitigating if results are more than 4 pCi/L
An interactive map on the Oregon Health Authority website allows viewers to see radon levels in their areas, where data are available. https://geo.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Styler/index.html?appid=b48af2492fac4dd7857e5601c54dbf0f.
To see the Pacific Northwest video, visit
https://www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/HEALTHYENVIRONMENTS/HEALTHYNEIGHBORHOODS/RADONGAS/Pages/index.aspx
For more information about radon in Oregon:
Oregon Radon Awareness Program Radon.program@state.or.us
Telephone: 971-673-0440
United States