The U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development Overview of Current Radon Research

The Air and Energy Engineering Research Laboratory (AEERL) of EPA began a research program to develop and demonstrate radon mitigation alternatives in 1984. This program grew significantly in 1986 with the addition of a Congressional funding supplement. In 1989 a separate Radon Mitigation Branch was established within the Pollution Control Division of AEERL. Radon mitigation research within EPA has evolved since 1984 from a program initially focused on houses with severely elevated radon levels in Boyertown (Pennsylvania) and Clinton (New Jersey) to the multi-faceted program currently concerned with reducing radon to near-ambient levels in existing houses, new houses, schools, and other large buildings. This direction of EPA's Indoor Radon.Program recognizes the successes achieved by EPA and others in demonstrating mitigation options capable of reducing radon to below 4 pCi L " ~ in the majority of houses. However, these options: 1) fail to achieve the ambient radon goal established by the Indoor Radon Abatement Act of 1988 (IRAA-88), 2) are too expensive for general homeowner acceptance, and 3) have only limited development and demonstration for schools and other large complex structures. To address these needs, emphasis is being placed on research of low radon level houses, directed at low-cost solutions for lower radon houses in order to have significant impact on the estimated 16,000 to 20,000 radon-induced lung cancer deaths each year. This paper has been reviewed in accordance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's peer and administrative review policies and approved for presentation and publication.