Element of Risk The Politics of Radon [Paperback]

Radiation, radioactivity, radon: these are words that, since Hiroshima, the Cold War, and Three Mile Island, have conjured fear and fascination for many Americans. The threat of nuclear war, however, was always abstract at best, and the possibility of a meltdown was seen primarily as a localized catastrophe. Yet the danger of radon--an invisible, odorless gas that could seemingly attack any home and afflict its residents with a deadly cancer--struck home in the 1980s when whole neighborhoods were deemed unsafe and homeowners were forced to relocate, often at great expense. But how much of a threat does radon really pose to Americans? Is the government's aggressive policy toward this silent killer warranted? Indeed, is there a legitimate threat at all? These are the important questions Leonard A. Cole asks in this provocative and fascinating new book, and his answers are ones that all homeowners will want to understand.
In clear, non-technical language, Cole dispels many of the myths surrounding radon as he makes recommendations for a coherent, reasonable environmental policy toward what is, certainly, a dangerous gas. But at what levels does radon become a health problem? From all the alarmist headlines ( Major Radon Peril Is Declared By U.S. screamed theNew York Timesin 1988), average Americans would never know that the threat of radon is much debated, among scientists as well as among government officials. They would never know that numerous European countries--with advanced environmental policies--see the radon levels found in homes and apartments as much less of a danger than we do. And they would never know that not even a single lung cancer death can be directly attributed to a radon-contaminated environment. As he carefully traces the development of the U.S.indoor radon policy, Cole illuminates the many scientific uncertainties that lie behind it, and challenges EPA's risk-cost assessment of radon levels. He shows, too, that no epidlÃô