Federal Action Radon Plan

Federal Action Radon Plan

A little over a year ago the Federal Action Radon Plan was put into action. The goal of the Federal Action Plan is to increase radon risk reduction in homes, schools and daycare facilities, as well as radon-resistant new construction. The plan contains both current federal government actions to reduce radon risks and a series of new commitments for future action. 33 commitments have already been met with the rest moving right along on schedule.

For the last year, the federal partners involved have been working to implement the Plan. The focus has been on keeping the momentum going and increasing the impact the changes have made. To make this possible, the federal partners involved will have to do a couple of things. First, they'll widen the range of their work and then ask industry and nonprofit organizations to build on and magnify the impact.

While the plan progresses, all those involved want to make sure the public stays informed. The Federal Radon Action Plan Scorecard was released to display the status thus far of the federal activity. You can view the scorecard here.

The scorecard shows where each of the plan's commitments is currently at and its proposed completion date. It can be viewed and sorted in several ways:

• View by the different agencies
• Progress status
• Sort by the Action Plan laid out. The Action Plan Framework groups each action by their primary intent on demonstrating the importance of radon risk reduction, finance and incentive options to further testing and mitigation or increase demand for services from the industry professionals nationwide.

The National Radon Action Plan is a starting point for organizations and nonprofits in the industry to move forward and increase the thoughts for action that are contained in the federal strategy. All of these efforts will create thousands of new jobs in the industries for radon testing and mitigation as well as in new construction of residential and commercial buildings.

Exposure to radon in a home is responsible for more than an estimated 20,000 lung cancer deaths each year. Radon is a very serious health hazard with a simple solution. Two studies have shown conclusive evidence with an association between radon exposure and lung cancer in residential buildings. For more information on how to reduce the risk to you and your loved ones from radon visit the Environmental Protection Agency and read their Citizens Guide to Protecting Yourself and Your Family from Radon here.

Already have a radon mitigation system installed. If your current radon system was installed over 5 years ago, the recommendation is that you have your system inspected. This will ensure that the system is running in pristine condition so that you and your loved ones are protected from radon exposure. The EPA recommends that all homes with a Radon Mitigation System be tested every 2 years. If you believe your home may have elevated radon levels, you should have your home tested by a certified radon mitigation specialist. Contact the National Radon Defense to find a radon mitigation specialist within your area.