NEHA's Radon/Indoor Air Quality program.

Radon made its appearance as a national health concern in the mid 1980s, and there have since been significant national efforts toward reducing the public health risk posed by residential exposure to elevated levels of radon. NEHA and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) have been at the forefront of these efforts. Through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. EPA Indoor Environments Division, NEHA administers the Radon/Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) program to identify and train environmental health professionals to implement community action plans regarding indoor air quality and radon problems. Through this program, NEHA is also addressing national health concerns related to mold, environmental tobacco smoke, and volatile organic compounds.

As a part of this program, NEHA offers environmental health professionals the opportunity to participate in several workshops throughout the year that teach both risk assessment of and risk communication about the health effects of long-term exposure to radon gas and other indoor air contaminants. Participants also learn the dynamics of implementing a community-wide plan that encourages residential testing and mitigation. To date, NEHA has trained a network of approximately 700 environmental health professionals to work on radon and other IAQ issues through the following workshops and educational opportunities:

* NEHA's Radon Resistant New Construction (RRNC) workshop is designed to give participants more knowledge about the technical components of radon-resistant new construction and building-code processes. The most recent workshop was held March 2-4, 2005, in Washington, D.C. Focus was also placed on interactions among radon/IAQ professionals during the training, so that through networking they might acquire new skills and awareness, and in turn build local coalitions, encourage collective implementation of RRNC, and create greater consumer demand as a result of overall increased public awareness. Before the workshop, NEHA Radon/IAQ program staff intensely monitored and scanned incoming applications from environmental health professionals, building code officials, zoning- or planning-department officials, and interested representatives of homebuilders associations from various communities. After carefully sifting through each applicant's professional background and duties dealing with radon and radon resistance, primary candidates were selected to attend the training, all expenses paid. Following the workshop, participants are charged with drafting a community action plan to ensure compliance with RRNC guidelines and will work with NEHA field partners and U.S. EPA staff who have successfully implemented RRNC in their communities.

* NEHA also serves as a professional partner in the IAQ Tools for Schools (TfS) Annual Symposium (hosted by the U.S. EPA Indoor Environments Division Schools Team). The Fifth Annual IAQ TfS Symposium was held December 2-4, 2004, in Washington, D.C. This conference constitutes a nationwide initiative to help school officials assess, resolve, and prevent indoor air quality problems and reduce exposure to asthma triggers in school facilities. Although the event lasts only three days, numerous planning and symposium curriculum enhancement meetings take place throughout the year. Each year, NEHA selects approximately 50-60 individuals to attend, all expenses paid. The symposium also features innovative sessions that address various topics associated with implementing an IAQ program in a school setting. These IAQ programs address communication strategies, mold remediation, facilities management, integrated pest management, new school construction, student performance, advocacy, financing, asthma management, and other preventive measures. An awards ceremony is held each year to honor schools with exemplary IAQ programs.

* A third training opportunity facilitated through NEHA and U.S. EPA is the IAQ Asthma Triggers Workshop. This comprehensive, two-day course is designed to reflect priorities for the national efforts. Specifically, material on asthma triggers, environmental tobacco smoke, mold spores, and radon are presented along with supporting resource material. This course, like other IAQ courses hosted by NEHA, is taught by recognized authorities in the indoor-air field with a focus on the latest health impact data and remediation strategies. In addition to providing educational content, the workshop has a second and equally important goal of training participants to develop and implement a comprehensive community action program. The purpose is to obtain measurable results in the areas of outreach and public participation, as well as in identification of IAQ contaminants and risk reduction.

To enhance their ability to respond to national priorities, the NEHA Research and Development (R&D) staff frequently attend conferences and meetings central to the issues facing all areas of environmental health and protection. In January of 2005, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Richard H. Carmona convened the national "Healthy Indoor Environment Workshop" in Bethesda, Maryland. Larry Marcum, NEHA's manager of government affairs, represented NEHA at this important event, which had a keynote address by the Surgeon General and was held on the campus of the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Carmona issued a formal health advisory at the workshop, warning Americans about the continuing health risk from exposure to radon in indoor air and urging them to test their homes to find out how much radon they might be breathing. Workshop participants left with an enhanced understanding of the public health consequences of radon in homes, schools, and office buildings. Carmona's announcement further highlighted the public health threat that results from high levels of radon exposure and reinforced the importance of NEHA's role as an active partner in the national radon risk reduction effort.

For more information on NEHA's IAQ/Radon program, please contact Susan Jerles, IAQ Project Assistant, at [phone], extension 310, or at [e-mail], or visit the NEHA R&D Radon/IAQ Program site at www.neha.org/research/indoor_air.html.