Tracking Program’s Radon Risk Map Prompts Testing, Protects Lives

Submission Date: April 2015

State/Territory Submitted on the Behalf of: Washington

States/Territories Involved: Washington

Funding Source: CDC

CDC Funding:

Yes

CDC Funding (Specified):

Other CDC Funding

Domain Addressed:

Epidemiology and Surveillance

Public Health Issue:

Radon Risk High in Parts of Washington State

• Radon is a gas that you cannot see, smell, or taste.
• According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, radon causes about 20,000 cases of lung cancer each year, making it the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking.
• Radon can seep up from the ground and become trapped in buildings. Testing is the only way to know if radon levels are high in a particular home or office.
• While some regions in Washington are known to have high risk for radon exposure, the EPA’s Map of Radon Zones for Washington identified those zones only at the county level.

Program Action:

Tracking Program Maps Show Radon Risks

• The Washington Tracking Program worked with state geologists to develop a new, more detailed radon exposure risk map. This map identified areas of low, medium, and high risk of radon exposure based on soil and rock types.
• Tracking staff also gathered state-wide radon testing data from national testing companies as well as data from the state radon program. These data were used to produce maps that showed testing results by ZIP code. Tracking program staff developed a radon content area on the Washington tracking portal that included maps of radon test data and exposure risk.
• Layering these maps showed new, previously unknown hot spots, such as around the Puget Sound. It also showed many high to moderate risk areas where no testing had been performed in the past.
• Based on this new information, tracking program staff raised public awareness about the importance of radon testing through outreach to local public health officials, a news release, and web and social media posts.

Impact/Accomplishments:

Radon Awareness Leads Tracking Employee to Test Her Own Home

• Meghan works in the Washington Tracking Network program. While working on this project, she realized that the home she and her family recently moved into was in a high-risk area for radon and should be tested.
• Testing revealed an elevated radon level in a basement room her step-daughter had chosen as her bedroom.
• Acting on the test results, the family took the simple, recommended steps to mitigate the radon. Adding a fan and keeping the bedroom door open as much as possible to increase air circulation helped to lower the radon level and keep Meghan’s family safe.
• “I’m so happy we discovered the high radon levels quickly and not after many years of exposing our children to them.” –Meghan, a Washington Tracking Network program employee

Program Areas:

Epidemiology and Surveillance

State Contact Information:

WA
Washington Tracking Program

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