The data may also be accessed through the RadonEye app, which synchs the RadonEye’s locally stored data to your phone and constructs graphic displays of radon levels over time. Once the most meaningful area of your home is identified, the device can be left to continuously monitor and construct a graphic seasonal profile.
Have the conversation!
If the physician does not ask about whether the patient’s home has been tested, we suggest the patient initiates the conversation. How does your doctor view the importance of testing? There are many resources a doctor can “prescribe” to help with a patient’s decisions on the testing of their home: for instance, the EPA has compiled a convenient guide to state-by-state resources on radon. [Ref. 5] The general practitioner is also critical to the tax-efficient financing of any needed corrective actions. Perhaps not very well known, but with a doctor’s support, before-tax health savings accounts can be tapped to perform potentially lifesaving radon remediations.
In conclusion, if you are a general practitioner, ask the question. If you are a patient, get an opinion from someone you trust. Let’s work together to manage a manageable situation!
References:
1. Field, R.W., American Family Physician, 2018 Sep 1; 98(5): 280-282
2. New lung cancer cases diagnosed annually: Sheehan, D.F., et al., Cancer Med. 2019Jan; 8(1): 94–103.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6346221/
3. Lung cancer deaths due to radon: https://www.epa.gov/radon/health-risk-radon
4. Lifetime costs of lung cancer: https://healthpayerintelligence.com/news/cost-of-cancer-care-reaches-nearly-150b-nationally
5. Radon map of the U.S.: https://www.epa.gov/radon/find-information-about-local-radon-zones-and-state-contact-information#radonmap
6. Stanley, F.K.T., Irvine, J.L., Jacques, W.R. et al., “Radon exposure is rising steadily within the modern North American residential environment and is increasingly uniform across seasons,” Sci Rep 9, 18472 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-54891-8
7. State regulations: https://www.ncsl.org/research/environment-and-natural-resources/radon.aspx#2
8. Ecosense, Inc. website: https://ecosense.io
9. “Intercomparison of Commercially Available Active Radon Measurement Devices in a “Discovered” Radon Chamber,” Marco Carmona, et al., Radiological Health Engineering Laboratory Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Consortium for Verification Technology under the Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration, award number DE-NA0002534.
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