My national campaign would involve a news story and publicly available radon tests.
I appreciate that there are resources available from the EPA's website to request kits, but the majority of people do not have the time or energy to spend navigating the website and calling the 1-800 number for this kit. My hope is that the data on radon-associated increases in deaths can be made public via a news story, or perhaps there is one very sympathetic story that can be the expose. While I am easily frustrated by the news coverage of petty irrelevant issues, the stations are valuable in getting word out about natural disasters. I would qualify the increase in environmental toxins a natural disaster and think this merits coverage!
Once the public is aware, radon testing kits should be available at the local PDs and libraries. From there, people can take them home and use them and return them within the week. While some may go missing, this will get the tests done to promote public safety. I would hope there is grant funding available or perhaps the radon testing agencies could subsidize this. They could invest in mass testings so the requests for repairs can increase!
I love your idea to support publicly available radon tests. These should be made available by public health departments. They can take a registry of homes that take in the kits and control their supply by only supplying kits to each home every 5 years or so.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea to involve local news outlets! Making the public aware of the health hazards and also by making the tests more accessible is a great way to promote radon testing in homes!
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