1. Residential Radon Exposure – A Leading Environmental Health Risk: Why we need to take action in Minnesota! Don Mailey RE/MAXResultsc (952) 212-0968e-mail Don@DonMailey.com

2. Radon Radium Uranium What Is Radon? Radon is a gas It is naturally occurring You can not see or smell it It enters buildings from the soil beneath them

3. MN Radon Potential Zone 1 Highest Potential (greater than 4 pCi/L) Zone 2 Moderate Potential (from 2 to 4 pCi/L)

4. Residential Radon Exposure – A Leading Environmental Health Risk: What is the Evidence?WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE #1 There is widespread potential for radon exposure in homes and schools in MN, as well as workplaces!

7. Occupational Exposure to Radon – Very Common Mine workers, including uranium, hard rock, and vanadium Workers remediating radioactive contaminated sites, including uranium mill sites and mill tailings Workers at underground nuclear waste repositories Radon mitigation contractors and testers Employees of natural caves Phosphate fertilizer plant workers Oil refinery workers Utility tunnel workers

8. Subway tunnel workers Construction excavators Power plant workers, including geothermal power and coal Employees of radon health mines Employees of radon balneotherapy spas (waterborne 222Rn source) Water plant operators (waterborne 222Rn source) Fish hatchery attendants (waterborne 222Rn source) Employees who come in contact with technologically enhanced sources of naturally occurring radioactive materials Incidental exposure in almost any occupation from local geologic 222Rn sources Plowing?

9. Residential Radon Exposure – A Leading Environmental Health Risk: What is the Evidence?WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE #2 Outdoor radon exposure can be significant!

10. Outdoor 222Rn Concentrations

11. Outdoor Radon Levels

12. Residential Radon Exposure – A Leading Environmental Health Risk: What is the Evidence?WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE #3 Alpha particles are very effective at causing DNA damage!

13. Radon Decay Products Radon Radon Why Is Radon A Concern? Radon decays into radioactive particles known as radon decay products. These particles are easily inhaled and deposited in the lungs where they can damage sensitive lung tissue.

14. What Happens When Radon-222 Enters a House? Radon Radon Radon enters home. Radon radioactively decays into RDPs in the air. Some RDPs remain in the air. Some RDPs plate out on surfaces. RDPs RDPs

16. Radiation can alter the cells, increasing the potential for cancer.Double Strand Breaks

18. Residential Radon Exposure – A Leading Environmental Health Risk: What is the Evidence?WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE #4 For the average individual in the United States – Radon decay products (radon) deliver over 50% of our average radiation dose! For the average Minnesotan, it represents well over 65%!!

19. Annual Effective Dose Equivalent to Member of the U.S. Population NCRP 93 (1987) Natural(mrem) Radon 200 Cosmic 27 Terrestrial: -external 28 -internal 39 Artificial (mrem) -Diag. X-rays 39 -Nuc. Med. 14 -Consumer Pro. 10 -Other ~1 TOTAL ~360

20. Residential Radon Exposure – A Leading Environmental Health Risk: What is the Evidence?WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE #5 Waterborne radon also contributes to our overall radon exposure!

21. Waterborne Radon Primarily from groundwater sources (wells) rather than rivers

22. Residential Radon Exposure – A Leading Environmental Health Risk: What is the Evidence?WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE #6 National and International Public Health Agencies support the contention that radon is a leading environmental health risk!

23. “Radon Is A Serious National Health Problem” American Lung Association American Medical Association Environmental Protection Agency National Academy of Sciences National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurement U.S. Surgeon General World Health Organization, and others…..

24. EPA & Surgeon General Recommend Take action if a home is at or above 4.0 pCi/L (year long average) 4.0 pCi/L EPA ACTION LEVEL Average indoor: 1.3 – 1.4 pCi/L Average outdoor: 0.4 pCi/L

25. How Does Radon Rank As A Cancer Causing Agent? Radon is ranked as a Group A carcinogen Highest ranking for cancer potential Known to cause cancer in humans Tobacco smoke and tobacco products in same category International Agency for Research on Cancer

26. Residential Radon Exposure – A Leading Environmental Health Risk: What is the Evidence?WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE #7 Laboratory studies using different species of radon-exposed animals clearly show a linear dose- response relationship between radon and lung cancer.

27. Residential Radon Exposure – A Leading Environmental Health Risk: What is the Evidence?WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE #8 Studies of occupationally-exposed miners clearly show a linear relationship between radon exposure and lung cancer!

28. Original Scientific Basis For Radon Risk Estimates Studies on miners. Uranium miners in U.S. and other countries

29. EPIDEMIOLOGIC MINER STUDIES China (Tin Miners) Czechoslovakia (Uranium) Colorado (Uranium) Ontario (Uranium) Newfoundland (Florspar) Sweden (Iron) New Mexico (Uranium) Beaverlodge (Uranium) Port Radium (Uranium) Radium Hill (Uranium) France (Uranium)

30. Residential Radon Exposure – A Leading Environmental Health Risk: What is the Evidence?WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE #9 Case-control studies of individuals exposed to radon in their homes show an increased lung cancer risk even at or below the EPA’s action level of 4 pCi/L (150 Bq/m3).

31. Residential Radon Exposure – A Leading Environmental Health Risk: What is the Evidence?WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE #10 Radon exposure represents a major source of cancer mortality in the United States!

33. LUNG CANCER DEATHS Per Year Estimated 172,000 Lung Cancer Deaths in 2008* Attributed to Radon Approximately 21,000 EPA 2008 *CA: A Journal for Clinicians - 2008

34. Should we be concerned about radon-induced lung cancer given that the risk pales in comparison to the risk posed by smoking?

35. Comparing Radon Related Cancer to Other Cancer Types Lung Cancer (radon) 20000 Liver Cancer 18000 16000 Brain Cancer 14000 Stomach Cancer 12000 Annual U.S. Cancer Deaths 10000 Melanoma 8000 Oral Cancer 6000 4000 Gallbladder Cancer 2000 Bone Cancer 0

36. Comparing Radon Related Cancer to Other Cancer Types

38. Radon Decay Products Radon Radon Is Radon a Leading Environmental Health Risk ?

39. Why are the hazards of radon ignored or not accepted ?? Invisible, odorless, colorless Naturally occurring (no villains) Can not link deaths to radon exposure Long latency period Not a dread hazard Cancers occur one at a time Voluntary risk Lack of press – no sensational story No sensory reminders to repetitively stimulate us to think about it Lung cancer does not occur in children

40. Further Information on Radon EPA 1-800-SOS-RADON http://www.epa.gov/radon/ Bill Field 319-335-4413 bill-field@uiowa.edu

41. Special Thanks To: R. William Field, Ph.D., M.S. Associate Professor Department of Occupational and Environmental Health Department of Epidemiology College of Public Health 104 IREH University of Iowa Iowa City, IA 52242 Bill-field@uiowa.edu