The present status of the radon program in the United States of America.

The indoor radon program in the US. started in the early 1970's in response to Congressional Hearings that recommended the initiation of radon measurements in certain parts of the united States where enhanced radon caused by contaminated uranium and radium tailings was suspect. In the mid 1970's, the Department of Energy (DOE), Environmental Measurements Laboratory (EML), conducted the first indoor radon survey in the New York City Metropolitan area. The two year study recommended that radon surveys should be expanded throughout the US. for better assessment of the radiation exposure of the general public to radon and its decay products. In 1984, well documented findings of very high concentrations of radon in homes located on the Reading Prong in Pennsylvania generated public interest in radon measurements and prompted the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to initiate a program to address the newly discovered public health problem. In 1988, EPA was assigned the task to implement the Indoor Radon Abatement Act (IRAA), which established a long-term national goal to reduce indoor levels to those found outdoors. In the 1980's , DOE funded many radon research projects on the health effects of environmental radon, instrument development and measurement quality. Unfortunately by the end of fiscal year 1998, DOE, the principal radon research agency stopped funding radon projects.