Using more than 70,000 radon test kit results, a statewide indoor radon potential map has been created by the Kentucky Geological Survey and the University of Kentucky College of Nursing.
In a slide show, “Using Geology to Communicate Radon Potential to the Public,” the project results and future efforts are presented. The collaboration between the Survey and School of Nursing focused on the geology of radon, the creation of radon potential maps and the role of geology in assessing radon potential.
The School of Nursing program, Bridging Research Efforts and Advocacy Toward Healthy Environments (BREATHE) is a multidisciplinary research, outreach, and practice collaborative of the UK College of Nursing. BREATHE obtained radon data, analyzed by county and zip code and related the findings to geologic layers.
The work was deemed of great importance because Kentucky leads the nation in the incidence of new lung cancer cases and lung cancer mortality. Kentucky has high radon potential (because of the geology), high smoking rates, and weak smoke-free protections, notes the Geological Survey.
The slide show explains the radioactive decay chain, the rock types and surfaces in KY, and the movement of radon gas along with radon test results.
Kentucky Radon Potential online mapping service plans to:
• Continue making radon potential maps using new data sources.
• Research with existing 60K residential radon data set the climate and seasonal influences on radon gas migration.
• Study life cycle of radon as it pertains to geologic units.
• Validate radon potential maps with new data.
• Acquire equipment to take soil-gas samples to verify the county maps.
• Assess radon in groundwater.
• Make the online Kentucky Radon Potential mapping service more robust and interactive.
See the map at https://kygs.maps.arcgis.com/apps/View/index.html?appid=eac52b77783d4f2a92403740aaf8de76
Source: “Using Geology to Communicate Radon Potential to the Public”
United States