Mission Statement of The American Radon Policy Coalition

Advocating A National Policy to Prevent 22,000 Needless Lung Cancer Deaths in the U.S. Annually Mission Statement of 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 United States with respect to radon levels in buildings is that the air within buildings in the United States should be as free of radon as the ambient air outside of buildings.” 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