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Assessing radon concentrations in areas with few measurements
1Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, USA. kitto@wadsworth.org
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
|April 15, 2003
Summary
New York State health officials mapped indoor radon levels using geology. Additional measurements confirmed these estimates, showing good agreement between predicted and actual radon concentrations in homes.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Geology
- Public Health
Background:
- New York State Department of Health estimated and mapped radon concentrations statewide.
- Radon estimates for towns with limited indoor measurements relied on surficial geology correlations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To target towns with few data but high estimated indoor radon levels for additional measurements.
- To obtain at least 30 measurements in targeted towns and compare results with geological estimates.
Main Methods:
- Conducted 1606 radon measurements across 94 underserved towns in New York State.
- Mailed 9080 radon detector applications to homeowners.
- Analyzed basement and living-area measurements against geological radon potential estimates.
Main Results:
- 43% of 1115 basement measurements exceeded 148 Bq m(-3).
- 19% of 491 living-area measurements exceeded 148 Bq m(-3).
- Measurement results showed good agreement with estimated radon concentrations (60% within one standard deviation, 86% within a factor of two).
Conclusions:
- Geological estimates of indoor radon potential are reliable predictors of actual measured concentrations.
- The study validated the use of surficial geology for estimating radon levels in underserved areas.