Air Health Our Health Raising Radon Awareness with Public Health Education- featuring Dr. Karen Elliot & Mateo Olmos
January is Radon Action Month. By the time someone meets me in the clinic with a lung cancer, it is too late for the intervention that should have taken place years before. How do we increase awareness about radon and reduce the risks in the population? This is exactly where the field of public health is so important, so for this Radon Action Month, I wanted to highlight two individuals in the public health pipeline- a teacher and student of public health. I am joined by Dr. Karen Elliott of Oregon State University as well as Mateo Olmos, one of her students.
To Do:
- Ensure your home is tested for radon– test every 2 years if you have not mitigated radon and after home upgrades. More information here
- Watch and share Mateo’s video educating about the importance of radon testing and action.
- The EPA estimates around 1 in 5 schools may have elevated radon levels in at least one frequently-occupied room. Find out if your child’s school has been tested for radon and whether it has been mitigated, particularly if close to or over the EPA action level of 4.0 pCi/L
- If you are a health professional, learn more about patient outreach with this guide to radon.
- For more on the science of radon and how we know it causes cancer, listen to last year’s January podcast with Professor Bill Fields.
- To hear a personal story about someone affected by radon, listen to the podcast with the home inspector Will Graff on Season 1 episode 22.
- Learn more about the Northwest Radon Coalition here, and consider a donation to the American Lung Association here.
References
American Lung Association Radon Resources
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