Word: radon
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TIME may possibly have misinterpreted what Professor Roberts said but feels fuming is in the eye of the beholder. Risks of Radon...
Your informative article on radon [ENVIRONMENT, July 22] failed to express the panic, frustration and helplessness people feel when they discover their homes are unsafe because of radon contamination. The number of people affected by this gas is larger than the number of those involved in many natural disasters. Yet for radon victims, the Government provides no relief. Combatting radon by sealing walls and floors is not necessarily effective after a building is constructed. A better method is ventilating the soil around the home. Lester A. Slaback Jr. Gaithersburg...
...radon threat has been intensified over the past ten years by the efforts of many homeowners to save energy. Tight insulation of buildings reduces air circulation and results in the buildup of indoor pollution. Says Richard Guimond, of the EPA: "The more you try to button up a house, the higher the pollutant levels become...
...Radon is not the only indoor public-health hazard that has increased because of the pursuit of energy efficiency. The EPA reported in June that eleven toxic air pollutants may pose a threat in the average home, where they are believed to be generated by common household products and building materials. Prior to the report, Democratic Senators Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey and George Mitchell of Maine and Republican Senator Robert Stafford of Vermont introduced the Indoor Air Quality Research Act, which calls for further examination of the hazards of radon and other indoor air pollutants...
Meanwhile, private citizens can take a number of steps to combat possible radon pollution. They can order testing devices called Track Etch from Terradex, a Walnut Creek, Calif.-based firm. If homeowners then detect dangerous concentrations of radon indoors, they should seal cracks and openings in basements with epoxy sealants, ventilate buildings with heat exchangers, and remove indoor airborne dust with high-quality air-cleaning systems. Average cost to radonproof a house: $1,000 to $5,000. Unfortunately homeowners must bear the cost. Many insurance companies have said that they are not liable for radon contamination, and because the substance...