january 2010 declared radon action month in georgia! 2010 newsletter edited... · january 2010 as...
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INSIDE THESE PAGES: P. 2 - Local Proclamations, Pages 3-10 - Photos of Radon Educators at work, DeKalb County NRAM Kick-Off; NRAM news articles; events; web pages and more; Pages 10-11 - Outreach Reports; Page 12 - Links to Radon Hotlines and Georgia Radon Program Contacts.
Volume VII March 2010
January 2010 Declared Radon Action Month in Georgia!
In Georgia
www.ugaradon.com 1-800-ASK-UGA1
www.dca.state.ga.us 1-800-359-4663
www.southface.org 1-800-765-0037
www.epa.gov/iaq/radon 1-800-767-7236
G e o r g i a R a d o n E d u c a t i o n P r o g r a m ( G R E P )N e w s l e t t e r & O u t r e a c h R e p o r t - J a n u a r y - M a r c h 2 0 1 0
The University of Georgia (UGA) College of Family & Consumer Sciences Radon Education Program Funded by the US Environmental Protection Agency Through the Georgia Department of Community Affairs
Partners include UGA Cooperative Extension and Southface Energy Institute.
Governor Sonny Perdue officially declared January 2010 as Radon Action Month by issuing the fifth Radon Proclamation for the State of Georgia. The proclamation encourages Georgians to test for radon, mitigate elevated levels, and build new homes with radon-resistant features.
National Radon Action Month is an exciting time of the year because many extra radon activities scheduled during the month. Although Radon Educators promote radon awareness and testing year round, we specifically target January with special publicity and activities.
GREP Radon Educators planned and conducted over 100 outstanding events, exhibits, radio and television spots and programs, many of which are highlighted in this issue of Radon in Georgia.
i n G e o r g i a
Volume VII 2 March 2010
2010 Local NRAM PROCLAMATIONS
DeKalb County Cooperative Extension sponsored an action-packed celebration to “Kick Off” 2010 National Radon Action Month in DeKalb County. Radon Educator Edda Cotto-Rivera coordinated the event. Participants in the county’s Radon Poster Contest were recognized and presented with certificates. Special guests included Joseph Krewer, Georgia Radon Grant Administrator, Georgia Dept. of Community Affairs, and Henry Slack, EPA Region IV, who encouraged participants to test their homes for radon wearing his green “Sox it to Radon” socks (Photo 1). Kathie Gannon, DeKalb County Commissioner - District 6, and keynote speaker, presented a proclamation declaring January 2010 as Radon Action Month in DeKalb County. (Photo 2 - Edda Cotto-Rivera, Commissioner Gannon, and Jessica Hill, DeKalb County CEC.) The highlight of the celebration was a dance performed by a group of DeKalb County 4-Hers EPA’s Gospel Radon Ringtone music. (Photo 3)
Volume VII 3 March 2010
DeKalb County NRAM Kick-Off
University of GeorgiaDeKalb Cooperative Extension
January 6, 2010National Radon Action Month
Kick Off
Volume VII 4 March 2010
GEORGIA NRAM ALBUM 2010
Volume VII 5 March 2010
GEORGIA NRAM ALBUM 2010
Judy Hibbs, Clarke County CEC, and Becky Chenhall, Radon Educator, look on as Heidi Davidson, Mayor of Athens-Clarke County, signs the Athens-Clarke County NRAM Proclamation shown left.
Mayor Ruth Bruner, City of Gainesville, is surrounded by Hall County 2010 Radon Poster finalists as she signs a proclamation declaring 2010 Radon Action Month in the City of Gainesville. The students are participants in a neighborhood after school program sponsored by Gainesville First Baptist Church. Onlookers (from left) are Keyla Aquilar, 2ndplace; Ginger Bennett, Radon Educator; Rev. Ruth Demby, First Baptist Church, Sandy Ortiz, 3rd place, and Mauricio Alberto, 1st Place.
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Updated: 6:01 AM Dec 21, 2009
Several methods for reducing radon levels Like carbon monoxide, you can't see, smell or taste radon, but the gasmay be a problem in your home.Posted: 10:00 PM Mar 15, 2006
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By James
and Morris Carey
The Associated Press
Like carbon monoxide, you can't see, smell or taste radon, but the gasmay be a problem in your home.
It results from disintegrating uranium in the earth - soil, rock andwater. Although radon can be found all over the United States, it isespecially prevalent in the Rockies, the Midwest and New England. Itcan get into any type of building - home, office, school - and resultin a high indoor radon level.
However, most people are likely to get the greatest exposure at home,where they spend most of their time. It typically makes its way intohomes through cracks in concrete floors or basement walls and floors,gaps in suspended floors, gaps around service pipes and cavities insidewalls.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, radon is estimated tocause about 21,000 lung cancer deaths per year. What's more, if yousmoke and your home has high radon levels, your risk of lung cancer isespecially high.
Nearly one out of every 15 homes in the United States is estimated tohave elevated radon levels.
Is radon present in your home? The only means to determine if radon ispresent and to what extent is through testing. Fortunately, testing isinexpensive, easy and should only take a few minutes of your time.Low-cost do-it-yourself radon test kits can be found at many hardwarestores or home centers or can be obtained through the mail.
If you are buying or selling a home or you don't chose to perform thetest yourself, you can hire a qualified testing firm. Contact yourstate radon office for a list of qualified testers.
There are two general ways of testing for radon: short-term andlong-term testing. As the name implies, short-term testing is thequickest way to test. The collection device - a charcoal canister orother type of system - remains in your home for two to 90 days.
Since radon levels can vary from day to day and season to season, ashort-term test is not likely to produce a reliable year-round averagelevel. A long-term test remains in your home for more than 90 days.
The EPA recommends the following testing steps:
Take a short-term test. If the result is four picocuries per liter ofair or higher, take a follow-up test to be sure.
Follow up with either a long-term test or a second short-term test. Fora better understanding of your year-round average, take a long-termtest. If you need results quickly, take a second short-term test.
If tests demonstrate that your home contains levels of radon that areequal to are greater than four picocuries per liter of air, you shouldtake action to reduce the levels. There are many methods of reducingradon levels. In general, all mitigation methods include some form ofsealing or ventilation.
In addition, some techniques prevent radon from entering your homewhile others reduce radon levels after it has entered. Among the mosteffective preventive methods is to patch cracks and gaps using caulkingand various other types of patching compounds.
Another method, soil suction, prevents radon from entering your home bydrawing it from below the house and venting it through a pipe (orpipes) to the air about the house where it is quickly diluted.
Some methods are passive and simply depend on natural ventilation whileother active methods involve the use of a powered exhaust fan, whichshould run continuously.
An effective method to reduce radon levels in homes with a crawlspaceinvolves covering the earth with a high-
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Volume VII 6 March 2010
2010 NRAM WEB SITESMany web sites
featured National Radon Month and
radon information during the months of
January and February. Here are just a few.
Edda Cotto-Rivera was honored to meet former U.S. Surgeon General, David Satcher, keynote speaker for the Under One Roof Conference held at Fort Valley State University in February. Top health and environmental leaders working to improve the health and safety of Middle Georgia households gathered at Fort Valley State University for the seventh annual Under One Roof housing conference.
During the conference, environmental health and housing agencies attended sessions about recycling, poisons in the home, affordable energy and smoking dangers.
More on-line radon publicity
GEORGIA NRAM ALBUM 2010
Volume VII 7 March 2010
Enviro Expo: November 2009GREP exhibited at the Enviro Expo in Atlanta in November 2009. Radon educators Edda Cotto-Rivera, Christa Campbell, Ginger Bennett, and Program Director Dr. Pamela Turner shared valuable information about the dangers of radon with Expo attendees during the
two-day e v e n t . T h e e x h i b i t attracted participants and exhibitors alike, challenging them to test their homes for radon. Though radon was a new term for many and others knew only a little about it, all learned about the dangers of breathing this deadly radioactive gas indoors, how to test their homes and what to do if radon levels test are elevated.
Volume VII 8 March 2010
January-March 2010
JOHNNY MILLER1963 - 2010
Johnny Miller, a NEHA-certified radon professional, passed away January 15, 2010
in Loganville, GA at the age of 47. The Georgia Radon Community will miss
Johnny’s enthusiasm for reducing radon levels in Georgia homes so that fewer Georgians would die from lung cancer. Johnny was
always willing to help the Georgia Radon Education Program in any way, whether as an educational speaker or manning a
Home Expo radon exhibit. Johnny is survived by his wife and two children.
NORTHEAST GEORGIA HOME EXPO In early March, Ginger Bennett shows a radon test kit and demonstrates how to use it for a Hall County homeowner and son during the Northeast Georgia Home Expo sponsored by the Greater Hall County Association of Builders. Edda Cotto-Rivera assisted with this event. Some 1,500 homeowners had opportunity to learn about radon as well as ways to improve their homes from over 100 exhibitors. Over 125 radon exhibit visitors were given radon information and literature. This yearly 2-day event attracts an
ever increasing number of exhibitors and participants and is one of the largest opportunities to tell about the dangers of breathing radon gas in indoor environments.
Volume VII 9 March 2010
Ines Beltran, Radon Educator, takes every opportunity to tell Gwinnett County citizens about radon, the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers. On January 22nd, Ines Beltran presented a program about Radon for 35 English as a Second Language (ESL) program specialists. ESL teachers work in parent centers and serve as translators and interpreters in Title III and Title I schools in Gwinnett County. Ines’ mother, Elise Beltran, who assists Ines frequently, is shown with Ines and the exhibit for this event. During the days following, Ines received requests for both English and Spanish language radon presentations for all parent centers in Gwinnett County schools, which she will provide over the next few months. Ines also provided a manned exhibit for the Gwinnett Post Home Garden Show in February and for a science fair at Harbins Elementary School in Gwinnett in March.
More January-March 2010
R a d o n O u t r e a c h Program Contacts & Media Impressions January - March 2010
PROGRAM Hall DeKalb Gwinnett Elbert Walton Southface Totals
Programs & Meetings 8 16 10 8 14 21 77
Participants 138 275 395 187 163 976 2,132
Materials Distributed 430 598 682 158 412 497 2,777
Exhibits or Events1 2 5 24 1 6 2 40 Participants 191 140 3,250 205 4,975 3,150 11,911 Materials Distributed 270 240 520 96 425 123 1,694 Total Direct Contacts 237 168 75 47 275 1,082 1,884 Medical professionals 5 3 0 0 3 0 11 Home builders 14 3 0 0 3 976 995 Realtors 24 7 0 1 1 0 33 Consumer Contacts 194 155 75 46 269 106 845 Radon Kits Distributed 176 353 282 58 195 123 1,187 Test Results Received 90 126 59 21 217 74 587 % 4 pCi/L and above 37.5% 10.4% 28.8% 23.5% 28.8% 0.0% 29.9% Highest Reported Level 49.9 21.6 49.0 44.0 85.8 77.1 85.8 Mitigations Completed1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Radon Resistant Starts2 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 Mitigation Referrals 55 10 20 4 57 39 185
MEDIA IMPRESSIONS Hall DeKalb Gwinnett Elbert Walton Southface Totals
Radio Spots 2 2 2 193 4 0 202 Listening Audience 20,000 650,000 7,000 16,000 98,000 0 784,000 TV Spots 21 1 1 2 6 0 31 Viewing Audience 2,100 645,000 4,200 3,656 175,000 0 829,956 Newspaper 0 1 1 1 7 0 10 Circulation 0 3,000,000 4,500 5,400 637,149 0 3,647,049 Newsletter Articles 3 0 1 1 4 0 9 Distribution 1,500 0 4,500 500 119,960 0 126,460 Web Articles (local web pages) 3 0 2 0 2 0 7 Article Hits 5,000 0 9,500 0 8,000 0 22,500 State Web Site Hits3 2,523 3,758 6,281
TOTAL MEDIA IMPRESSIONS 29,105 4,295,000 22,700 25,556 1,038,109 3,758 5,414,228
1 Radon Mitigations are reported once a year in the July-September issue. Certified GA mitigators report their mitigations & RRNCs annually in the J-A quarter in the “other” column. 2 Radon Resistant Starts are reported by Southface alone. 3 UGA Radon Program web hits are shared equally among the five radon educators.
Volume VII 10 March 2010
Volume VII 11 March 2010
R a d o n O u t r e a c h Program Contacts & Media Impressions through December 2009
Program Contacts Hall DeKalb Gwinnett Elbert Walton Southface Other2 Totals
Programs & Meetings 202 138 203 155 458 1,002 27 2,185
Participants 6,506 2,831 13,347 3,479 16,120 15,605 2,099 59,987
Materials Distributed 10,387 8,724 14,133 5,677 35,136 7,711 66 81,834
Exhibits or Events1 92 55 105 40 103 60 31 486
Participants 33,502 3,235 50,065 11,966 104,453 13,122 2,996 219,339 Materials Distributed 34,309 5,264 32,658 7,152 18,015 1,090 1,346 99,834
Total Direct Contacts 2,532 447 398 622 2,496 9,478 76 16,049
Medical professionals 356 25 31 78 577 0 48 1,115 Home builders 228 13 12 401 288 8,267 0 9,209 Realtors 357 68 4 41 189 715 28 1,402 Consumer Contacts 1,591 341 351 102 1,442 496 0 4,323
Radon Kits Distributed 6,580 2,906 6,759 2,635 9,494 4,617 4,400 37,591 Test Results Received 1,961 769 1,957 1,253 4,501 854 849 12,144 % 4 pCi/L and above 25.6% 15.9% 20.4% 11.4% 20.2% 0.0% 26.5% 19.2% Highest Reported Level 49.9 21.6 49.0 44.0 85.8 77.1 0.0 85.8
Mitigations Completed3 40 0 1 5 16 22 1,365 1,449
Radon Resistant Starts3 2 0 0 0 10 413 937 1,362
Mitigation Referrals 613 86 222 69 357 298 0 1,645
Media Impressions Hall DeKalb Gwinnett Elbert Walton Southface Other2 Totals
Radio Spots 45 9 9 2,897 131 1 2 3,094
Listening Audience 2,832,000 2,470,000 7,000 3,940,000 2,518,000 2,000 377,000 12,146,000
TV Spots 139 67 646 7 244 2 437 1,542
Viewing Audience 25,020,100 2,133,000 73,978,200 13,024 26,969,000 1,263,000 8,385,000 137,761,324
Newspaper 22 2 17 11 65 0 6 123
Circulation 795,000 3,098,000 1,292,817 148,400 2,515,449 0 69,500 7,919,166
Newsletter Articles 39 1 13 11 39 8 16 127
Distribution 20,300 99 16,746 5,115 1,480,780 903,048 6,054 2,432,142
Web Articles (local web pages) 3 0 2 0 3 0 0 8
Article Hits 5,000 0 9,500 0 9,200 0 0 23,700
State Web Site Hits4 23,251 45,833 0 69,084
Total Media Impressions 28,677,050 7,705,749 75,308,913 4,111,189 33,497,079 2,213,881 8,937,554 160,351,416
1Sumpter County Radon Education program was terminated in September 2004; output included in Totals. 2 Other includes radon education/results reported by other FACS/4-H Agents. 3 Reported quarterly by Southface only. Certified GA mitigators report their mitigations & RRNCs annually in the J-A quarter in the “other” column. 4 UGA Radon Program web hits are shared equally among the five radon educators.
R a d o n O u t r e a c h Program Contacts & Media Impressions through March 2010
Volume VII 12 March 2010
R a d o n R e s o u r c e s & L i n k s
The Georgia Radon Education Program is funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through the Environmental Division of the Georgia Department
of Community Affairs in partnership with the University of Georgia College of Family & Consumer Sciences and Southface Energy Institute.
UGA Radon Program Team
Dr. Pamela R. Turner, Director
Ginger Bennett, Editor770/535-8290
Ines Beltran678/377-4014
Christa Campbell706/283-2037
Becky Chenhall770/267-1324
Edda Cotto-Rivera404/298-4072
Georgia Indoor Radon Grant AdministrationJoseph Krewer, Grant Administrator [email protected] 404/679-3124 Georgia Department of Community Affairs, Office of Environmental Management, 60 Executive Park South, N.E., Atlanta, GA. 30329-2231 Fax: 404-679-0646
Radon Hotline Numbers Georgia Radon Hotline Numbers
Southface Energy Institute (Outside Atlanta Metro Area) 1-800-745-0037 Atlanta Area Hotline/Southface 404-872-3549, Ext. #148
National Hotlines Kansas State University / EPA 1-800-SOS-RADON (1-800-767-7236)*
Monday – Friday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. National Hispanic Indoor Air Quality 1-800-725-8312 The Radon Fix It Line: (National Safety Program) 1-800-644-6999 Get live help for your radon questions 1-800-55RADON (557-2366)* Radon Fit-It Hotline For general information on fixing 1-800-644-6999* or reducing the radon level in your home. Safe Drinking Water Hotline 1-800-426-4791
* Operated by Kansas State University in partnership with EPA