Radon News

Radon News

March 16th, 2009

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MDC Builders Sued Over Radon Issue- October 23rd, 2008

MDC sued over radon issue Homeowners in West Virginia say required removal systems weren't installed. By Margaret Jackson The Denver Post Article Last Updated: 10/23/2008 11:10:53 PM MDT

Kevin and Maureen Joy were the first to discover the high levels of dangerous radon in their home, built by Richmond American Homes of West Virginia. Now, they're among 152 West Virginia residents suing Richmond American and its parent company, Denver-based MDC Holdings Inc., claiming the companies failed to install functioning radon-removal systems in their homes. In May, 66 people sued the company in a Jefferson County, W.Va., court, and 86 more plan to file suit today, according to their lawyer. Representatives from MDC, the 10th-largest homebuilder in the country, declined to comment. The company sold 8,195 homes in 2007, according to BuilderOnline. In a motion to dismiss the suit, MDC and Richmond American claim they hired subcontractors to perform certain work and that those companies by contract were responsible for complying with all construction, health and safety and other laws."Where applicable, Richmond American Homes of West Virginia Inc. contracted with its subcontractors for the installation of passive radon reduction systems," Richmond's dismissal motion said. "Plaintiffs' homes passed inspection by the Jefferson County Department of Planning, Zoning and Engineering. However, the installation of a passive radon system is not a guarantee that there will never be radon in the home."Inhaled radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer, after smoking, killing 21,000 Americans a year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. But people poisoned by radon do not display symptoms immediately. Instead, the lung cancer incubates for years."They say that radon can cause lung cancer," Kevin Joy, a racehorse trainer, said in an interview. "It's a concern for me and a concern for my children and my wife. We spent a substantial amount of time down in that basement. We had a pool table and a large- screen TV down there." The Joys, who put their home on the market in 2006, had their home tested for radon at the insistence of a buyer. The results showed the radon level in the basement was 8.6 picocuries per liter, more than twice the federal recommended action standard of 4 picocuries, according to the lawsuit. A radon specialist discovered that the radon-removal system supposedly built by Richmond American was never installed as legally required under West Virginia law, the suit states. That prompted more residents to check into their radon systems, with each discovering similar issues, said Andrew Skinner, the attorney who filed the suit and a resident of the community. Darren and Laura Bryan, also parties to the May lawsuit, said their home's radon-mitigation system was really a pipe to nowhere. "If you stood outside our house, it appeared the radon vent was on the roof. But if you tracked the pipe, it just stopped," said Laura Bryan, who is concerned about the health of her two teenage children. "It didn't connect to anything. If this had not been discovered, we don't know what could have happened over time." West Virginia, which has radon-gas levels higher than the national average, requires radon-removal systems to be installed in newly constructed homes, Skinner said.In Colorado, which also has high levels of radon, removal systems are not legally required unless it's by a county or city, said Linda Bartish, radon- program specialist for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
Margaret Jackson: 303-954-1473 or mjackson@denverpost.com

Home Radon May Have Tie To Childhood Leukemia

NEW YORK JUL 18, 2008 (Reuters Health) - Children who live in homes with high radon levels may be at increased risk for acute lymphoblastic leukemia during childhood, but not other childhood cancers, research from Denmark suggests. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a cancer of infection-fighting white blood cells. Outside of fetal exposure to X-rays and genetic conditions, the causes or risk factors associated with childhood ALL are poorly understood. Higher rates of childhood cancer, and particularly leukemia, have been observed in geographic regions with higher levels of radon -- a natural radioactive gas that emanates from soils and can concentrate inside houses. Yet, studies assessing links between breathing radon gas and the risk for childhood cancer have yielded mixed results. Against this backdrop, Dr. Ole Raaschou-Nielsen of the Institute for Cancer Epidemiology in Copenhagen, and colleagues looked at the lifetime radon exposures of 2,400 children who had been diagnosed with cancer between 1968 and 1994, and 6,697 cancer-free children. All the children were born and living in Denmark, and were age 15 or younger. One-year radon measurements from regions in which the children lived were used to predict cumulative radon exposure. The researchers found that children exposed to "intermediate" levels of radon had a 21 percent higher risk of developing ALL relative to children exposed to the lowest levels of radon. Children with the highest radon exposures had a 63 percent greater risk of ALL relative to those with the least exposure. These associations held up in further analyses that factored in other characteristics potentially associated with increased cancer risk, such as mother's age, birth order, traffic density around the home, electromagnetic field exposures, and the building type of each home. Raaschou-Nielsen and colleagues, who report their findings in the medical journal Epidemiology, say they have no obvious biological explanation for the suggested association between radon exposure and ALL. In related commentary, Dr. Andrew F. Olshan, at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, cautions that these findings may just be a signal to devise long-term, progressively refined studies that may or may not reveal definitive answers. "The etiology of childhood cancer has remained elusive, especially with regard to possible environmental influences," Olshan noted. SOURCE: Epidemiology, July 2008

Man charged with forgery and theft

Radon services performed without certification, state says A 50-year-old Susquehanna Twp. man has been charged with conducting radon testing without proper certification from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Criminal charges were filed against Richard Denman of the 400 block of North 32nd Street, owner and operator of a home inspection business called North Systems. Agents from the attorney general's Environmental Crimes Section filed charges Monday alleging Denman conducted a series of radon tests and radon mitigation services for homeowners in Lancaster and Lebanon counties, even though he had never been certified to perform those services. Denman also is charged with providing forged radon and water quality testing reports to an Elizabethtown homeowner and claiming to be certified by the DEP while installing and repairing a radon mitigation system in a home in Mount Joy. Attorney General Tom Corbett said Denman had been notified by DEP on numerous occasions that he was not permitted to perform radon-related services without proper certification. Denman is charged with seven counts of violating the state radon certification act, two counts of forgery, and one count of theft by deception. Corbett said Denman's case will be prosecuted in Lancaster County court.

Alzheimers & Parkinsons Could the Cause be Radon?

(PRWEB)In a study conducted at the University of North Dakota, researchers discovered that the presence of radioactive radon daughters in the brains of non-smoking persons with Alzheimers and Parkinsons disease was 10 times greater than it was in the brains of persons with no previous evidence of neurological disorders. Professor Glenn Lykken and Dr. Berislav Momcilovic assert their study demonstrates that indoor radon gas has the capacity to irreversibly infest the brain with the poisonous progeny of radioactive heavy metals.

Recently revised EPA risks assessments estimate 21,000 Americans die annually from radon induced lung cancer, 150% higher than their 1994 estimate. However, scientists are increasingly suspicious that radon may be linked to disease in other parts of the body as well.

When inhaled, radon gas accumulates in lipid tissue throughout the body with the highest concentration in the brain, bone marrow, and nervous system. Additionally, one-third of the inhaled radon decay products (radioactive particles produced when the gas decays) pass from the lungs into the blood stream indicating that the gas does not flow quickly in and out of the lungs, but lingers in the body.

Previous study at UND determined that once radon is rapidly absorbed into the body from the lung, a fraction accumulates in the brain resulting in increased gamma ray emissions from bismuth-214 (one of the radioactive radon decay products) and altered EEG signals.

While radon is a lipid-soluble gas that can move freely in and out of the brain despite the blood-brain barrier, none of the transmuted heavy metal radon daughters are soluble in the lipids, meaning they remain trapped in the brain where they emit gamma radiation and alpha particles resulting in both radiation and chemical injury to the brain cells.

Of keen interest was the unexpected discovery that the radioactivity selectively accrues to the brain proteins in the Alzheimers victims and to the brain lipids in the Parkinsons victims. This pathognomonic distribution was inferred to reflect the increase of local chlorine availability to which the radon daughters bound selectively.

Once present, the most likely candidate for radiation injury appears to be the highly radiosensitive astrocytes rather than the more radioresistant neurons, which do not divide. Other studies have indicated the astrocytes may be involved in Alzheimers disease and the amyloid deposits and neurofibrillatory tangling observed with Alzheimers may well reflect the response to radiation injury of the astrocytes.

Interestingly enough, the geographic distribution of Parkinsons disease mortality is considerably higher in states with greater radon potential, according to research by D.J. Lansak of the University of Kentucky and published in the Journal of Neurological Sciences.

An estimated 4.5 million Americans have Alzheimers disease, the number having doubled in the last 25 years. An estimated 1.5 million Americans have Parkinsons disease with 60,000 new cases diagnosed each year.

University of North Dakota researchers are looking for more funding to continue their research. To access the study in its entirety, please go to www.radonnews.org or the Alzheimer Disease and Associated Disorders Magazine. Contact: Professor G.I. Lykken at UND at (701) 777 3519.

"Do It Yourself Products"

We have received several inquiries regarding the purchase of radon mitigation fans and accessories. Unfortunately we do not sell these products to consumers. However, click this link to go to INFILTEC. Here you can purchase fans and accessories.

This month we have seen a rise in residential radon mitigation. More and more people who are buying homes in Florida are requesting a radon test be part of the home inspection process. If you are planning on buying a home in Florida you may want to consider a radon test. To obtain radon levels in Florida by zip code CLICK HERE for the FL DOH web site. Or if you are in Florida call 1-800-543-8279. Outside of Florida call 1-850-488-1525.

If you would like more information about radon in Florida contact the Florida Dept. Of Health Indoor Air & Radon at 1-800-543-8279. Or Visit the FL DOH web site.

With an increase in the number of radon tests being performed public awareness has increased on the health effects associated with radon exposure. More and more relocation companies, banks, finance companies and mortgage companies are requiring radon testing and mitigation if necessary prior to purchasing any residential occupied property.

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If you have any questions regarding radon or radon mitigation please feel free to e-mail Gene Yacobacci at radonfix@aol.com

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