Re: radon

[mcbaker@students.wisc.edu (Baker)]

>
>     This morning driving to work I saw an ad on the rear of a Nashville
>     Transit bus that almost involved me in an accident!  In very large
>     letters it proclaimed "RADON...THE SECOND LEADING CAUSE OF LUNG
>     CANCER" followed by a number to call for more information.  I suppose
>     we must agree that their statement is correct...provided the study
>     population is limited to pitchblende miners.  Is anyone aware of a
>     study that will justify this kind of misinformation?  Does anyone have
>     any suggestions as to what might be appropriate action?
>
>

An addition to Dr. Gibbs' observation,  I was reading a magazine my
wife gets titled "Parenting."  (Subscriptions were free to new parents
and she has continued the subscription for a couple of years now.)  This
months column on children's health starts out...

        "Imagine if schools forced children to smoke half a pack of
        cigarettes a day.  Well, the Environmental Protection Agency
        has reported that some kids are being subjected to an equivalent
        lung cancer risk from high levels of radon gas in their schools."

The article goes on to discuss other "toxins" such as lead and chemicals
but does state the one out of five schools have unacceptably high levels
of radon.

Mike Baker ... mcbaker@students.wisc.edu