Advocating A National Policy to Prevent 22,000 Needless Lung
Cancer Deaths in the
The American
Radon Policy Coalition is national not-for-profit organization whose sole
mission is to enforce, strengthen, and shape public policy for the prevention
of lung cancer caused by needless indoor radon exposure.
GOALS:
The
enforcement of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations 24CFR50.3(i)1 "Environmental Policy" that states, "It
is HUD policy that all property proposed for use in HUD programs be free of
hazardous materials, contamination, toxic chemicals and gasses, and radioactive
substances, where a hazard could affect the health and safety of occupants or
conflict with the intended utilization of the property;” Indoor
radon is both a toxic gas and radioactive substance, yet HUD only acknowledges
the need for a property to be tested for radon if the local or state government
requires it. ARPC asserts “all property proposed for use in HUD programs” to
apply to homes for which the purchaser is seeking a federally insured mortgage,
at least those homes in Zones 1&2 of EPA’s Map of Radon Zones.
The
enforcement of the Stewart B. McKinney Amendments that require the U.S.
Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to develop and implement a policy
to protect residents of HUD assisted housing from the dangers of indoor radon
exposure; The U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) concluded in 1991 that HUD’s
recommended radon policy does not meet the basic requirements of the
legislation; Twelve years later, HUD’s radon policy is to ignore it.
The enforcement of HUD
compliance with The 1988 Indoor Radon Abatement Act that states, “The
Secretary [of HUD] shall utilize any guideline, information, or standards
established by the Environmental Protection Agency for testing residential and
nonresidential radon, identifying elevated radon levels, identifying when
remedial actions should be taken.”
The
implementation and enforcement of policies that fulfill the goal of The1988
Indoor Radon Abatement Act that states, “ The
national long-term goal of the
The enforcement
of Executive Order 11514 Protection and Enhancement of Environmental Quality,
Section 1, that states, “Federal agencies shall
initiate measures needed to direct their policies, plans and programs so as to
meet national environmental goals”.
The enforcement of Section 204 42USC
4344 of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) that states, “It
shall be the duty and function of the Council on Environmental Quality (4) to
develop and recommend to the President national policies to foster and
promote…[environmental] goals of the Nation.”
The
enforcement of Executive Order 11514, Section 3 that assigns the Council
on Environmental Quality (CEQ) the responsibility of coordinating Federal
programs related to environmental quality and to enforce Federal standards
affecting environmental quality
The
enforcement of Title 1, Sections 101 and 104 of NEPA that require a coordinated
and consistent radon policy among all federal agencies; HUD’s failure to
address radon concerns is out of step with other federal agencies including,
EPA, DOD, and GSA.
The enforcement
of Executive Order 12898, Section 1-101 that states, “Each Federal
agency shall make achieving environmental justice part of its mission by
identifying and addressing, as appropriate, disproportionately high and adverse
human health or environmental effects of its programs, policies and activities
on minority populations and low-income populations;” According to CDC studies, “people
in minority groups or with low levels of income or education were significantly
less likely to have heard of residential radon and its potential health risks
than were whites or people with higher levels of income or education”
The
encouragement of local, state and federal legislators to pass legislation to
disclose EPA recommendations that all homebuyers test for radon, to provide tax
incentives for radon testing and mitigation, to implement radon resistant
building codes, and to enforce radon in water standards.
STRATEGY:
1.
Lobby Congress, the EPA and the states to demonstrate the
following:
A. Our national
radon program over the last 16 years is a failure!
B. Indoor radon
exposure is a serious national health concern.
C. Simple
enforcement of existing federal laws and regulations with regard to radon is
free market solution that will generate results and save lives
2. Enroll State & National Associations of Oncologists to join our cause by:
a. Educating
them with the latest radon risk studies from around the world
b. Recruiting
doctors to be media contacts and spokespersons
c. Placing
radon information in cancer treatment centers
d. Providing
free radon tests to families of lung cancer victims
3. Encouraging
non-smoking lung cancer victims to tell their story by:
a. Recruiting victims and families to voluntarily become spokespersons
b. Assisting in the creation of a victim’s advocacy group for non-smoking lung cancer patients and their families
American Radon Policy Coalition Project:
Funds will not be utilized by the AARST General Fund or other projects.
ARPC members may request an accounting of the use of membership and advertising
funds. Note:
Sustaining Sponsors and above will receive display advertising commensurate
with their sponsorship level in the Radon Advocacy Journal to be published at
the Annual International Radon Symposium. Also, Supporting Sponsors will be
listed. The advertising schedule is
available on request.
Annual
Sponsorship Levels:
Platinum Sponsor: $5000
Executive Sponsor: $2500
Senior Sponsor: $1500
Sustaining Sponsor: $1000
Supporting Sponsor: $ 500
Contributing Sponsor: $ 250
Make Checks Payable to the
AARST – ARPC Program Member Fee