By LIZ SWITZER
Saturday, January 30, 2010 10:57 PM CST

Miranda Pederson/Daily News
John Campbell, a Louisville native, has been general manager at Indian Hills Country Club in Bowling Green for about a month. Campbell has spent 33 years in the country club business. “It’s a great career,” he said. “I’ve loved every minute of it.”

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The Daily News

lswitzer@bgdailynews.com/783-3240

Central Kentucky’s karstlands have long been a healthy source of tourism dollars, but that same topography carries increased health risks from radon gas, the leading source of lung cancer for nonsmokers. Health experts now say that radon risk has been shown to be more serious than previously believed and are strongly recommending that property owners here test for it.

An estimated 14 percent of lung cancer cases are attributable to exposure to radon gas, according to new findings by the World Health Organization. In the U.S. alone, the Environmental Protection Agency says that 20,000 lung cancer deaths each year can be attributed to radon.

As a result, WHO now recommends that homeowners take action when radon levels exceed 2.7 picocuries per liter – or pCi/L, a measure of radioactivity – a new radon standard that is considerably more conservative than the EPA’s action level of 4.0 pCi/L, which has been the U.S. standard for more than 20 years. The average level in Warren County is 14.02 pCi/L, the fourth highest rate in the state, according to the University of Kentucky College of Nursing Tobacco Policy Research Program.

Put in risk-calculated terms, said Anita A. Britt, Western Kentucky University Department of Environment, Health and Safety specialist, radon can be viewed in this way: “A family that has a radon level of 8.0 pCi/L that spends 75 percent of their time in the home for 15 years has a 1 percent risk of contracting fatal lung cancer from radon exposure. Compare this to the risk of dying in a car crash – 0.78 percent. Yet people wear their seat belts – it is the law – so they should test their home for radon.”

Radon, which comes from the natural radioactive breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water, is found all over the U.S., especially in karst geology, with caves, sinkholes and fissured rock. While there are guidelines, there are actually no safe levels of radon, according to the EPA, which is developing special recommendations for testing and mitigation in karst geology.

David Butler, environmental health program manager for the Barren River District Health Department, gives out radon kits to many homeowners in the eight-county Barren River area. “Based on information about the area and the karst topography, the Bowling Green area is especially susceptible to radon,” Butler said. “We always recommend that people get their homes tested, especially if they have a basement.”

The most recent test data for Warren County show that of the 3,602 tests conducted here between 1998 and 2008, 63 percent were above the 4.0 picocurie action level, with the average level approximately 13.7 and the highest level approximately 330.7, Britt said, adding that smoking combined with radon is an especially serious health risk.

The Warren County lung cancer incidence rate is about 92 cases per 100,000 with 24 percent of adults in Warren County being smokers, according to a study by the University of Kentucky. In comparing Warren’s radon level of 14.0 pCi/L to Fayette County’s average radon level of 8.0 pCi/L, with a slightly lower percentage of adult smokers and a lung cancer incidence rate of 86 cases per 100,000, the increased risk is clear, Britt said.

“Radon is present in Kentucky and in some areas and situations may have high enough concentrations that prolonged exposure could certainly cause adverse health effects,” said Guy Delius, director of the Kentucky Department for Public Health’s division of Public Health Protection and Safety. “Karst areas such as what we find in some parts of southcentral Kentucky may have higher radon rates than other areas of the state. With this in mind, we want to continue to raise awareness and encourage our homes and businesses be tested for the gas. Any home may have elevated radon levels, and the only way to know is to test.”

Hot spots in the home generally include basements, first-floor rooms and garages. Radon gets into the air people breathe and can be found in any type of building. However, most people experience the greatest exposure at home, where they spend most of their time, according to the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Human Services. Radon gas decays into radioactive particles that can get trapped in a person’s lungs and, as they break down, the particles release small bursts of energy that can damage lung tissue and lead to lung cancer over time.

The EPA recommends people consider fixing their home if their radon levels are between 2.0 and 4.0 pCi/L and recommends radon testing for all homes lower than third-floor level. “People need to be encouraged to test their homes, especially in this area,” Britt said. “Testing is not something people do just once and forget about it. People are constantly moving, building, renovating and occupying lower levels. Radon tests should be done every two to five years.”

The good news is that even in the worst cases, radon problems can usually be fixed fairly easily and inexpensively. New construction now offers radon resistance options for homeowners such as passive air flow systems that pull radon out of the air, Butler said.

— For more information, contact the local health department or the Kentucky Department for Public Health’s radon office at (502) 564-4856 for a free test kit.

Choosing a company to handle radon control

By the Daily News

The U.S. surgeon general recommends that all homes in the United States be tested for radon. Most homes can be fixed for an average cost of about $1,200. New homes also can be built with radon-resistant features. In Kentucky, radon mitigation companies are not required to be licensed or insured. The Kentucky Department of Health recommends taking the following measures when choosing the best company to handle your radon control:

# In lieu of no licensure requirements, check to ensure the contractor is nationally certified and in good standing with the National Environmental Health Association or the National Radon Safety Board.

# Ensure the contractor is property insured. Ask for written verification.

# Ensure the contractor is using a licensed electrician to properly wire the radon abatement fan.

# Obtain a written agreement that specifically states the radon system installed will be in full compliance with EPA standards.

# Ask for a copy of the calibration certificate for the specific machine that will be used to validate that radon levels are reduced after installation of your system.

# Check with the secretary of state to ensure any contractor is registered and in good standing to do business.

— For more information, call the WKU Radon Program at (270) 745-2333.

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