Re: Radon/Smoking relationship questions

[RuthWeiner@AOL.COM]

here is an additional thought:  I don't believe you can extend your conclusions about ventilation uniformly to all parts of the United States.  here are some examples of why:


1.  In the Pacific Northwest there is relatively little home air conditioning (central or otherwise).  Moreover, many people use electric baseboard heat instead of a central furnace because (until the recent California energy debacle) electricity was reasonably inexpensive.

2.  In New Mexico (and some parts of Arizona) homes are cooled using evaporative cooling ("swamp coolers") rather than refrigerated air.  Evaporative cooling requires opening windows for ventilation.

3.  Many new houses don't have basements or crawl spaces, but are built on concrete slabs.

4.  Out here is the Southwest, it is dry and dusty, and some of that dust comes in small particles.  It is also windy.  I imagine that dust blowing into a house would have much the same effect in plating out radon and radon daughters as smoke.

5.  Wood smoke would also plate out radon, in homes that are heated with wood stoves.


Just some items for your consideration.


Ruth Weiner, Ph. D.

ruthweiner@aol.com