Beware summer radon-test results.Measuring radon with testing kits that sit in a house for just a few days can yield misleadingly low values in summer, a new study finds. Alabama maintains a statewide database of 36,000 domestic measurements of radon, a radioactive ra·di·o·ac·tive adj. Of or exhibiting radioactivity. radioactive characterized by radioactivity. radioactive decay gas emitted by rocks in soil. Although these data revealed some geographical hot spots hot spots acute moist dermatitis. , radon readings in such areas were often unexpectedly low if testing had occurred in summer. To investigate a possible seasonal bias, James L. McNees of the Alabama Department of Public Health in Montgomery and Susan H. Roberts of the Alabama Radon Education Program at Auburn University Auburn University, main campus at Auburn, Ala.; land-grant and state supported; opened 1859 as East Alabama Male College, reorganized 1872 as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama; became coeducational 1892; renamed Alabama Polytechnic Institute 1899, offered free radon-test kits to state residents whose homes had recently undergone summer testing. Of the 186 homes resampled in winter, 63 percent exhibited higher radon values than they had in summer. Indeed, 27 percent of these homes revealed air concentrations more than five times the 4-pic-ocuries-per-liter federal guideline guideline Medtalk A series of recommendations by a body of experts in a particular discipline. See Cancer screening guidelines, Cardiac profile guidelines, Gatekeeper guidelines, Harvard guidelines, Transfusion guidelines. for taking remedial action A remedial action is a change made to a nonconforming product or service to address the deficiency. Rework and repair are generally the remedial actions taken on products, while services usually require additional services to be performed to ensure satisfaction. . The researchers report their findings in the July Health Physics. The Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), independent agency of the U.S. government, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1970 to reduce and control air and water pollution, noise pollution, and radiation and to ensure the safe handling and recommends measuring radon over an entire year. However, because many people test for radon only when they put their homes on the market, several-day testing has become common. McNees and Roberts suspect that the summer-radon effect traces to fairly constant temperatures in air-conditioned homes. Normally, they say, temperature differentials would prompt warmer air to rise into the attic, drawing radon-laden air into the home from the soft below it.--J. R. |
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