Surgeon General Releases National Health / What a Joke

[Guest guest]

no one will ever come forward. They cleaned the government basement I worked

in with respirators and hazmat suits. Yet federal workmans comp says I CANT BE

SICK! The whole thing makes me sick.

Janet

[Guest guest]

From what I understand from personnel that were at that workshop,

they spoke very little about Radon. Most of the discussion was on

water intrusion in an indoor environment. So this is the best that

they could come up with. RADON! Since when did this become a big

concern?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, January 13, 2005

Contact: HHS Press Office

(202) 690-6343

Surgeon General Releases National Health Advisory On Radon

U.S. Surgeon General H. Carmona warned the American public

about the risks of breathing indoor radon by issuing a national

health advisory today. The advisory is meant to urge Americans to

prevent this silent radioactive gas from seeping into their homes

and building up to dangerous levels. Dr. Carmona issued the advisory

during a two-day Surgeon General's Workshop on Healthy Indoor

Environment.

" Indoor radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the

United States and breathing it over prolonged periods can present a

significant health risk to families all over the county, " Dr.

Carmona said. " It's important to know that this threat is completely

preventable. Radon can be detected with a simple test and fixed

through well-established venting techniques. "

Radon is an invisible, odorless and tasteless gas, with no immediate

health symptoms, that comes from the breakdown of uranium inside the

earth. Simple test kits can reveal the amount of radon in any

building. Those with high levels can be fixed with simple and

affordable venting techniques. According to U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA) estimates, one in every 15 homes nationwide

have a high radon level at or above the recommended radon action

level of 4 picoCuries (pCi/L) per liter of air.

National Health Advisory on Radon

Radon gas in the indoor air of America's homes poses a serious

health risk. More than 20,000 Americans die of radon-related lung

cancer every year. Millions of homes have an elevated radon level.

If you also smoke, your risk of lung cancer is much higher. Test

your home for radon every two years, and retest any time you move,

make structural changes to your home, or occupy a previously unused

level of a house. If you have a radon level of 4 pCi/L or more, take

steps to remedy the problem as soon as possible.

" Americans need to know about the risks of indoor radon and have the

information and tools they need to take action. That's why EPA is

actively promoting the Surgeon General's advice urging all Americans

to get their homes tested for radon. If families do find elevated

levels in their homes, they can take inexpensive steps that will

reduce exposure to this risk, " said R. Holmstead, Assistant

Administrator, Office of Air and Radiation, U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA).

" Based on national averages, we can expect that many of the homes

owned or financed by federal government programs would have

potentially elevated radon levels. The federal government has an

opportunity to lead by example on this public health risk. We can

accomplish this by using the outreach and awareness avenues we have,

such as EPA's Web site, to share information and encourage action on

radon to reduce risks, " said Edwin Piñero, Federal Environmental

Executive, Office of the Federal Environmental Executive (OFEE).

A national Public Service Announcement (PSA) that was released to

television stations across America in January, National Radon Action

Month, is reinforcing this recently updated health advisory. In the

television spot, the camera scans a neighborhood with rooftop

banners that remind the occupants of the importance to test their

homes for radon. The television PSA can be viewed at:

http://www.epa.gov/radon/rnpsa.html.

For more information about radon go to EPA's Web site

www.epa.gov/radon; or call your state radon office; or call a

national toll-free hotline at 1-800-SOS-RADON (1-800-767-7236).

The Surgeon General's Workshop on Healthy Indoor Environment is

bringing together the best scientific minds in the nation to discuss

the continuing problem of unhealthful buildings. Indoor environments

are structures including workplaces, schools, offices, houses and

apartment buildings, and vehicles. According to a recent study,

Americans spend between 85 and 95 percent of their time indoors.

In just the past 25 years, the percentage of health evaluations that

the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health at the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has conducted

related to indoor-air quality has increased from 0.5 percent of all

evaluations in 1978, to 52 percent of all evaluations since 1990.

This means that in those years, the evaluations related to air

quality concerns have increased from one of every 200 evaluations to

one of every two.

The problem is also adversely affecting our children's health as

millions of homes and apartments and one in five schools in America

have indoor air quality problems. This can trigger various allergies

and asthma. Asthma alone accounts for 14 million missed school days

each year. The rate of asthma in young children has risen by 160

percent in the past 15 years, and today one out of every 13 school-

age children has asthma. Dr. Carmona is especially focusing on how

unhealthy indoor environment affects children, as he promotes 2005

as The Year of the Healthy Child.

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