‘ Ripe opportunities ’
LEFT : CJ Donley measures the distance from the house ’ s wall to the edge of the roof during the installation of a radon mitigation system on Jan . 2 at a home in Springfield . RIGHT : Gunnar Atwell attaches the radon mitigation system ’ s fan unit on Jan . 2 at a home in Springfield . The fan will pull air and radon gas from beneath the home and release it above the roof . Tristen Rouse / Missourian
‘ Ripe opportunities ’
Other regulatory benchmarks experts in Missouri hope to see are homebuyer awareness programs and requirements for real estate transactions to disclose if the house has been tested for radon , what those radon levels are , and whether the home has been mitigated .
Experts also hope for construction regulations that would encourage installing mitigation systems as houses are built , which can reduce radon levels by as much as 50 %, Malone said .
As with certification , Missouri has no statewide regulation encouraging builders to follow a standard to prevent radon , although a handful of municipalities have construction ordinances at the municipal level .
Missouri also lacks policies targeting radon in schools and child care centers . Around 10 states regulate radon in child care facilities , and nearly 20 states have some kind of policy around radon in schools , whether it be new construction or testing requirements . The most recent state to enact school testing requirements is Iowa . The year before , Vermont required it . However , neither of the policies passed require professionals or certified individuals .
“ It ’ s a ripe opportunity for public policy ,” Malone said . “ There is absolutely no excuse for not protecting people from lung cancer and from radon exposure .”
Missourian reporters Jonathan Jain , Ellie Marshall , Annasofia Scheve and AJ Cassapo contributed to this report .
Originally published on columbiamissourian . com , part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange . https :// www . columbiamissourian . com / news / state _ news / no-excuse-for-not-protecting-people-missouris-lax-radon- regulations / article _ 4b6167e0-e220-11ed-8019-e7864b8ac935 . html