Radon Mitigation Survey Among New York State Residents Living in High Radon Homes
| Autor: | Ying Wang, Alice D. Stark, Nick Teresi, Carole Ju |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 1999 |
| Předmět: |
Adult
Radon mitigation Health Knowledge Attitudes Practice Adolescent Databases Factual Epidemiology Health Toxicology and Mutagenesis New York chemistry.chemical_element Radon Risk Factors Environmental protection Environmental health Radioactive contamination Humans Air Pollution Radioactive Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging Health risk Aged Public awareness Middle Aged respiratory tract diseases chemistry Lung disease Air Pollution Indoor Housing Income Educational Status Environmental science Radiation monitoring Household income |
| Zdroj: | Health Physics. 77:403-409 |
| ISSN: | 0017-9078 |
| Popis: | Residential exposure to radon has been considered an important environmental risk factor for lung cancer. Since 1986, U.S. EPA has recommended that all dwellings below the third floor be tested for the presence of radon and be mitigated to reduce indoor radon in homes with levels exceeding 148 Bq m(-3). In order to evaluate the effectiveness of New York State Department of Health's efforts to increase public awareness about radon risk and to promote radon testing and mitigation in compliance with EPA's guideline, a statewide radon mitigation survey was conducted between September 1995 and January 1996 among New York State residents whose homes had radon levels equal to or greater than 148 Bq m(-3) on the first floor (or above) living areas. The survey found that about 60% of 1,113 participants had taken actions for radon mitigation. The percentage of respondents who took actions to reduce radon levels in their homes increased with increasing education level as well as household income level. The method of installing a powered system to provide more ventilation was a more effective mitigation method than opening widows/doors or sealing cracks/openings in the basement. Mitigation performed by contractors was more effective in reducing radon levels than mitigation performed by residents. The reasons for performing radon mitigation given by the majority of respondents were those strongly related to radon health risk. High home radon level was an important motivational factor to stimulate radon mitigation. On the other hand, the cost of radon mitigation was a major barrier in decision making for performing radon mitigation and for selecting mitigation measures. Thus, public educational campaigns that focus on increasing awareness and knowledge about radon health risks and development of less expensive radon mitigation methods may help in promoting radon mitigation. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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