Radon… Why Should I Care? Brandy Toft Air Quality Specialist Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe ITEP IAQ Course March 2013

What Is Radon? Radon: odorless, colorless, toxic gas derived from decay of uranium in soil Form of radiation that attacks lung tissue # 1 cause of lung cancer among non-smokers Estimated 21,000 deaths year, rising Smoking increases your risk 4 times! Elevated indoor levels found in every state

Where Does Radon Come From? Caused by breakdown of Uranium in earth’s crust. Present in almost all rock, soil, and water Amount of radon in soil depends on soil chemistry, which varies greatly from one house to next Moves up through ground into atmosphere, where it can potentially enter your home through cracks/holes in foundation

Deliver majority of radiation dose to lungs Lead-210 Polonium-214 Bismuth-214 Lead-214 Polonium-218 Radon-222 b,g a,g Lead-206 Polonium-210 Bismuth-210 22 yrs 4 day 3 min 27 min 20 min 0.2 ms 5 day 138 day Stable Radon Decay Products Po-218 and Po-214 Deliver majority of radiation dose to lungs

Could My Home Have Radon? 1 in 15 homes in US are above 4 piC/L. ALL HOMES SHOULD BE TESTED FOR RADON! Regardless of location, zone, home design or if your neighbor tested. Are YOU at risk for lung cancer due to high radon levels? TEST YOUR HOME!

Houses Suck…. Radon

Potential Radon Entry Points

Examples of Entry Points Cracks in concrete slabs Spaces behind brick veneer walls that rest on uncapped hollow block foundations Pores and cracks in concrete blocks Floor-wall joints (cold joints) Exposed soil (eg., sump or crawl space) 8

Examples of Entry Points (cont.) Weeping (drain) tile, if drained to an open sump Mortar joints Loose fitting pipe penetrations Open tops of block walls Building materials, such as brick, concrete, rock Well water

Radon: Lung Cancer Causing Gas Radon decays into radioactive alpha particles; articles are inhaled, deposited in lungs Causes physical damage to DNA, increasing potential for cancer

What Level of Rn is Considered Safe? No known safe level of radon 9 to 12% of lung cancers are radon induced EPA recommends homes with radon levels over 4 pCi/L be mitigated Not a health-based standard Based on mitigation technology WHO health based action level 2.7 pCi/L Most mitigation systems can get the level of radon down to below 2 pCi/L. The best way to respond to a carcinogen is to keep peoples exposure as low as possible.

Health Effects Radiation is a carcinogen(cancer-causing agent) Most cancers do not appear until many years after radiation dose (~10-40 years) Radiation may also cause other health effects links to leukemia, stomach & liver cancer exposure during pregnancy potential links Genetic defects in children Developmental disabilities

Health Effects (cont.) 2nd leading cause of lung cancer in US Estimated to cause 21,000 deaths annually* Second only to smoking Leading cause of lung cancer for non-smokers 2,900 deaths annually * EPA Assessment of Risks from Radon in Homes (June 2003, EPA -402-R-03 -0003)

Prevention and mitigation methods reduce risk More to come…. Adverse health effects of radon will increase as more people Are exposed in tighter homes Population ages Medical-related radiation exposure increases Prevention and mitigation methods reduce risk

Comparing Radon Related Cancer to Other Cancer Types “Stigma” of lung cancer Lung Cancer (radon) 20000 Liver Cancer 18000 16000 Brain Cancer 14000 Stomach Cancer 12000 Annual U.S. Cancer Deaths 10000 Melanoma Homicides 18,272; Atherosclerosis 15,279, HIV Infection 13, 426; Alzheimer’s Disease 8000 Oral Cancer 6000 4000 Gallbladder Cancer 2000 Bone Cancer Source: Bill Field, 2005, UI

Radon Compared to Other Risks

Chances Of Developing Cancer Due To Radon Depend On… Levels of radon in home - Dose Amount of time spent in home - Duration Pre-Disposition Smoker Non-smoker Previous Smoker Genetics

Radon Level Non Smoker 20 pCi/L 10 pCi/L 8 pCi/L 4 pCi/L 2 pCi/L If 1,000 people who never smoked were exposed to this level over a lifetime*… The risk of cancer from radon exposure compares to**… What to Do: 20 pCi/L About 36 people could get lung cancer 35 times the risk of drowning Fix your home 10 pCi/L About 18 people could get lung cancer 20 times the risk of dying in a home fire 8 pCi/L About 15 people could get lung cancer 4 times the risk of dying in a fall 4 pCi/L About 7 people could get lung cancer The risk of dying in a car crash 2 pCi/L About 4 people could get lung cancer The risk of dying from poison Consider fixing between 2 and 4 pCi/L 1.3 pCi/L About 2 people could get lung cancer (Average indoor radon level) (Reducing radon levels below 2 pCi/L is difficult) 0.4 pCi/L (Average outdoor radon level) 18

Radon Level SMOKERS 20 pCi/L 10 pCi/L 8 pCi/L 4 pCi/L 2 pCi/L If 1,000 people who smoked were exposed to this level over a lifetime*… The risk of cancer from radon exposure compares to**… What to Do: 20 pCi/L About 260 people could get lung cancer 250 times the risk of drowning Fix your home 10 pCi/L About 150 people could get lung cancer 200 times the risk of dying in a home fire 8 pCi/L About 120 people could get lung cancer 30 times the risk of dying in a fall 4 pCi/L About 52 people could get lung cancer 5 times the risk of dying in a car crash 2 pCi/L About 32 people could get lung cancer 5 times the risk of dying from poison Consider fixing between 2 and 4 pCi/L 1.3 pCi/L About 20 people could get lung cancer (Average indoor radon level) (Reducing radon levels below 2 pCi/L is difficult) 0.4 pCi/L (Average outdoor radon level)

Test, Fix, Save a Life Every home should be tested Testing is easy No special skills required Only takes a couple of minutes It’s inexpensive – especially compared to medical treatment

TEST TEST TEST TEST TEST TEST.... Adverse health effects of radon will increase as more people are Exposed in homes and work, Our population ages, and Increased medical-related radiation exposure

Radon on the Rez Need to educate and test! Located in medium to high zones of radon potential Started short term testing in 2005 Handed out over 700 tests 0.4 to 44 pCi/L Crawl spaces (cement and dirt) Basements Need to educate and test!

Billboard on 371 near Walker

Short-Term Fixes…. Sealing cracks and other openings in foundation to limit radon flow into home House pressurization involves blowing air from upper floors or outside into lowest level of house (typically basement) to prevent radon from entering house

Short-Term Fixes…. (cont.) Natural ventilation reduces radon levels by mixing radon with outside air Typically a temporary measure due to increased heating/ cooling costs Heat-recovery ventilator (HRV or air-to-air heat exchanger) can increase ventilation. Increases heating/cooling costs, too, but not as much as natural ventilation

Long-Term Fixes For houses with basement or slab-on-grade Subslab suction (or sub-slab depressurization) is most common method. Pipes inserted through floor slab or below slab from outside house into crushed rock or soil underneath Fan connected to pipes draws radon from below house, released into outdoor air Drain tile suction can be used in houses where perforated drain pipes installed to direct water from foundation, but only when tiles form complete loop around foundation

Long Term Fixes (cont.) Sump hole suction can be used in houses with basements and sump pumps. Sump can be capped, can continue to drain water and also serve as location for radon suction pipe Block wall suction can be used to remove radon from hollow spaces in basement concrete block walls For houses with crawl spaces Passive ventilation (without fan), or active(with fan) Submembrane depressurization: covering earth floor with heavy plastic sheet, using vent pipe and fan to draw radon from under sheet

Don’t leave me hanging…. Test, test, test….what does it lead to? Tons of funds to identify problem… Where is money to fix problem? Many don’t have funds to fix themselves Have to be very creative to get mitigation $ How do we get it incorporated in with HUD? How do we get it incorporated into Housing?

Leech Lake Mitigations Three main types Sub floor subduction Sump pump Radon barrier Building capacity through training

2007 Radon Mitigation 24 to 2.5 PiC/L

Hands on Training 2009

18 to 1.2 piC/L

Typical pre 2010 crawlspace

Sometimes gone wrong….

Fixed

BUT best laid plans….

Radon Resistant New Construction New homes can be built to be radon-resistant Minimize radon entry routes Allow for easier remediation of problems that may occur later Costs less if installed during construction (estimated $350 – $500 to cost of new home compared to $800 – $2,500 to retrofit existing home)

Radon-Resistant New Consruction Three categories Sealing entry routes: basic element in radon mitigation Similar to controlling moisture and for energy conservation. Vapor barriers, caulks, foams can seal radon entry routes in foundation and floor areas. Soil ventilation systems: soil depressurization or sub-slab depressurization systems. Create suction on soil so radon is removed as soil gas before entering house. Some of these systems use fans (active systems) and some do not (passive systems)

RRNC (cont.) Mechanical house ventilation systems Designed to provide extra outside air dilution or to maintain higher pressure inside building relative to outside, preventing radon from entering

Basic elements of radon-resistant features Gas Permeable Layer – Layer placed beneath slab or flooring system to allow soil gas to move freely underneath house. In many cases, material used is 4-inch layer of clean gravel Plastic Sheeting - Placed on top of gas- permeable layer and under slab to help prevent soil gas from entering home. In crawlspaces, sheeting placed over crawlspace floor Sealing and Caulking - All openings in concrete foundation floor sealed to reduce soil gas entry Vent Pipe - 3- or 4-inch gas-tight or PVC pipe (commonly used for plumbing) runs from gas-permeable layer through house to roof to safely vent radon and other soil gases Junction Box – Electrical junction box installed in case electric venting fan is needed later

Leech Lake Radon Mitigations Radon Barrier Membrane Sump Pump – drain tile Sub floor subductions active and passive systems RRNC

A Lung Cancer Victim Speaks Dennie Edwards, Elyria, OH, www.cansar.org “In 2004, I had a very bad cold, so my doctor performed a chest x-ray to check for pneumonia. I've never smoked, so you can imagine how shocked I was that he found a 4.5 centimeter mass in my left lung. “Even though I've been a real estate agent for 31 years, I had never bothered to test my house for radon. I always informed my clients that radon testing prior to purchase was an option (to protect my liability), but truthfully, I really didn't care if they tested or not. “Now I had to wonder whether my lung cancer had been caused by radon exposure. While the doctor scheduled my surgery, I scheduled a radon test. The result was 10 pCi/l, (2 ½ times the EPA's Action Level). I had lived in the home for 12 years. Needless to say, I called a contractor to have a mitigation system installed. “Two days later I had surgery. I thought I was surely going to die. When I woke up choking with tubes in my throat, panic set in. They had removed my entire left lung. I'm getting better. I can walk up to a mile. But, I can no longer dance, lift things, or exert myself. “My clients now get a very personal testimonial about the importance of testing for radon."

Brandy Toft Air Quality Specialist Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe air@lldrm.org 218.335.7429