Radon Risks in Your Home & Daycare

Radon Risks inYour Home & Daycare Patrick Daniels IEMA Radon Program

What is Radon? • Radon is an indoor air pollutant. • Radon is a colorless, odorless radioactive gas that comes from naturally occurring uranium in the soil. • The only way to tell how much radon a home has is to TEST.

Indoor Radon Becamean Issue in 1984 • Mr. Watrus set off alarms at the Limmerick Nuclear Power Plant when entering. • Stanley Watrus measured 2700 picocuries of radon per liter (pCi/L) of air in his Pennsylvania home. • The Watrus case brought the indoor radon problem to the public attention and that of the USEPA.

Surgeon General’s Warning • “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 country.”

Radon Exposure • Radon and Radon Decay Products (RDPs) are breathed in and the Radon is exhaled. • RDPs remain in lung tissue and are trapped in the bronchial epithelium and emit alpha particles which strike individual lung cells and may cause physical and/or chemical damage to DNA.

Alpha Particle Damage Alpha Particles are strong enough to pit plastic.

Radon Risk Estimates • USEPA’s 2003 Assessment of Risks from Radon in Homes estimates radon causes about 21,000 lung cancer deaths per year. • The Illinois Emergency Management Agency and the USEPA estimate that as many as 1,160 Illinois citizens are at risk of developing radon related lung cancer each year.

Did you know? • More Americans die each year from lung cancer than from breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers combined.

Lung Cancer Mortality Rates

Sources of Radiation Exposureto US Public 2009 Average Exposure 620 mrem Assumes average indoor radon concentration of 1.3 pCi/L. Radon is by far the greatest single source of radiation exposure to the general public. Other - 1% Medical X-Rays - 12% Radon - 37% Internal - 5% Nuclear Medicine – 12% CAT Scans - 24% Consumer Products - 2% Cosmic - 5% Terrestrial - 3% Source: National Council on Radiation Protection (NCRP Report 160)

Sources of Radiation Exposure in Illinois Average Exposure 1,170 mrem Assumes average Illinois indoor radon concentration of 4.9 pCi/L. Radon is by far the greatest single source of radiation exposure to the general public in Illinois. Other - < 1% Medical X-Rays - 6% Internal - 2% Nuclear Medicine – 6% Radon - 67% Consumer Products - 1% Terrestrial - 2% Cosmic - 3% CAT Scans - 24%

Radon Risk in Perspective Comparative Risk Assessments by EPA and its Science Advisory Board have consistently ranked Radon among the top four Environmental risks to the Public. In 1998 Harvard Risk in Perspective, by John Graham, ranked Radon the #1 risk in the Home

Did You Know? Top five causes of accidental home injury deaths: Falls Poisoning Fires Choking Drowning Deaths due to radon induced lung cancer is greater than all of these.

Home Safety Council Risks

Average Indoor Radon Concentration by County The only way to tell how much radon a home has is to TEST.

Statewide Results from IEMAProfessional Licensee Measurements 118,447 Homes Tested 48,978 of the homes tested were > 4.0 pCi/L 41% of the homes tests were > 4.0 pCi/L Average Radon Concentration 4.9 pCi/L

radon radium uranium Radon Entry • Radon enters through any opening between the building and the soil.

Pressure Differentialsand Radon Entry Air pressure differentials between the building and outside air causes radon from the soil to be drawn into the house resulting in elevated indoor radon levels.

Mitigation SystemsReduce Radon by: • Collecting radon prior to its entry into the building and discharging it above the highest eave. • Modifying building pressure differentials.

Common Entry Points • Foundation Wall Joint • Crawlspace • Sump Pits • Cracks in Floors • Utility Penetrations

Active Soil Depressurization • Active Soil Depressurization uses a fan to draw radon from beneath the house. • All radon mitigation systems shall be designed to reduce a radon concentration in each area within the footprint of the building as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA). • Crawl spaces must be included in a radon reduction plan.

All Homes Should Be Tested • All homes should be tested for radon, even those built with radon resistant features. • Radon resistant homes do not guarantee radon reduction below the action level, only reduce cost and assist with aesthetics.

Illinois Child Care Act 225 ILCS 10/5.8 Provides that every daycare be tested for radon at least once every 3 years. Effective January 1, 2014, daycares must submit proof of measurements in order to renew license.

Rooms to Test • Measurements shall be made in rooms that can be regularly occupied by individuals, such as family rooms, living rooms, dens, playrooms and bedrooms.

Do Not Place Tests • Measurements made in closets, cupboards, sumps, crawlspaces or nooks within the foundation shall not be used as a representative measurement and shall not be the basis for a decision to, or not to, mitigate the radon level within a building. • Activated Charcoal (AC) devices should not be placed in Kitchens, Laundry Rooms or Bathrooms. These rooms may have high humidity that may effect some detectors. • Near potential Radon entry points such as, in crawl spaces, on floor or wall cracks, or adjacent to the sump pit.

Short-term measurements shall be made under closed-building conditions Before Testing Closed building conditions shall begin at least 12 hours prior to the beginning of the measurement period for measurements lasting less than 4 days. Closed House Conditions

Commercial Building Licensing • Home Daycare – Measurement / Mitigation Professional / Technician can provide services. • Daycare Centers – Only Professional Licensees licensed to perform schools and commercial buildings can provide services.

Commercial Building Measurements • School and commercial building measurements and mitigations are not a simple extension of residential services. • The Agency requires specific Quality Assurance Projects Plans to be developed for measurements in Schools and Commercial Buildings.

Commercial BuildingMeasurments • Because of increased air movement from the building's HVAC system(s), varying occupancy times, unusual radon entry mechanisms, inappropriate energy conservation applications and unusual structural features, a school (daycare center) or a commercial building may be difficult to characterize the radon concentrations.

Regulations for Measurements422.120 Requirements • The on-site presence of the Licensed Radon Measurement Professional providing supervision is required for all radon measurement activities at schools and commercial buildings.

Initial Measurements • Initial measurements shall be short-term measurements of at least 48 hours to 90 days, depending on the device used, and shall be made in all frequently occupied rooms in contact with the soil, whether the contact is slab-on-grade, a basement, berm, a room above a crawlspace or any combination.

Initial MeasurementsMost Common Errors • Schools and commercial buildings shall only be tested for radon during periods when the HVAC system is operating as it does normally when the buildings are occupied, even if the testing occurs when school is not in session or during long holidays.

Measurements Results • IEMA recommends in both home environment and schools or commercial buildings that a decision to mitigate not be based on initial measurement results.

Daycares and Variances • The Agency will approve variances for not measuring an entire building when a daycare measurement is required and the daycare only occupies a portion of the building.

Contact Information Patrick Daniels IEMA Radon Program (217) 782-1325 patrick.daniels@illinois.gov

Radon Risks in Your Home & Daycare