USEPA, in “Spotlight: Successful Approaches for Reducing Radon Risk,” noted the success of the Rhode Island Department of Health (RI DOH) Radon Program partnered with the Lead Safe Providence Program (LSPP), a HUD-funded healthy homes and lead hazard reduction loan program, to provide free radon testing. Radon mitigations were completed by LSPP with HUD healthy homes funding for all homes with radon levels above the EPA action level. As a way of sustaining this effective collaboration and radon risk reduction program, RI DOH plans to sponsor regular radon measurement and mitigation training for the LSPP lead inspectors.
RI DOH’s Radon Program’s mission is to protect Rhode Islanders from lung cancer due to radon exposure by ensuring that no homes, schools, or other high priority buildings have unacceptable radon levels. The Program promotes radon testing and mitigation in residential properties through education and outreach campaigns.
The Program partnered with Lead Sate Providence Program to provide free radon testing. The Lead Safe Program is a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grant program designed to assist property owners with the cost of lead paint abatement in eligible properties. Healthy home principles include reducing unsafe levels of radon. The Radon Program provided the database of database of radon testing performed in Rhode Island that indicated that current average radon level in the state is nearly three times the national average. More than one in four homes tested in Rhode Island has a radon level that the Environmental Protection Agency considers a health risk. Radon mitigations were performed with HUD Health Homes funding.
Sources:
Lead Safe Providence
Overview of EPA’s State Indoor Radon Grants Program: A Focus on Activities Conducted during 2021
United States