The Radon Strategy Action Group has been working on Objective 15 of Cancer Plan MN 2025. This group recently finished a project to identify and mitigate (reduce) radon in homes of low income residents, including cancer survivors. In general, the cost of radon mitigation averages about $1,500 to $2,000; which can be too costly for many Minnesotans. This project tested a free mitigation service; which included promoting the service, receiving and reviewing applications, and completing mitigations.
This group received 22 applications from across the state, including homes with cancer survivors. Radon testing was conducted in 21 of the homes with radon amounts ranging from 4.5 to 25 pCi/L, in some cases much higher than the action level (>4.0 pCi/L). The selection criteria were cancer survivor in the home, income (and out of pocket costs), amount of radon, ease of mitigation, and exposure to more people in the home. After much thought, the group chose 8 homes; 4 in the metro area, 1 in southern MN, and 3 in northwest MN. Mitigations were completed in June 2018 by Midwest Radon Specialists. Radon levels were greatly reduced in all homes from 11.0 pCi/L to 0.8 pCi/L.
After finishing the project, the group created a framework to continue and grow the service. Additionally, they created a video to describe the project which features the homes and experiences of the residents. The video will be used for educational purposes and to grow the program. Information about the project was also shared with local and state media. WCCO Channel 4 News aired a story about the project on June 19th, WDAY News aired a story on June 26th, and the Fargo Forum published a story on June 30th.
Although radon was reduced in only 8 homes, many more were in need. There is a high demand for radon mitigation from low income residents. Therefore, a free long-term program that serves a wider area and a larger number of homes is needed. The processes developed and tested in this project will serve as a model for future work. Moving forward, this group will continue to look for financial support and radon professionals to participate in the program. If you know of any funders or have other suggestions, contact Dan Tranter at MDH (651-201-4618 or Daniel.tranter@state.mn.us). Current partners of this group include Midwest Radon Specialists LLC, A Breath of Hope Lung Foundation, the MCA Radon Workgroup, Festa Radon Technologies, and MDH Indoor Air Unit.
