The Kennedy Park/Bayside East public housing development in Portland, Maine, where several apartments tested high for radon. In Maine, state law says
landlords must do testing. Although the Portland Housing Authority uncovered radioactive gas in some of its 725 units in 2014, removal systems weren’t
installed until this year.
THE FAILURE TO LOOK
HUD’s toothless testing recommendation went widely ignored, The
Oregonian/OregonLive found.
Not only did local housing authorities dismiss the plea. So did HUD.
The federal housing department operated 10 housing authorities between 2013
and June 2018, records show. The agency typically takes on this role temporarily
to turn around longstanding and severe management problems.
HUD didn’t follow its voluntary testing guidance in any of the places it managed.
These included East St. Louis, Illinois, an area where nearly half of tests in private
homes reveal radon above the federal threshold.
Sullivan, the HUD spokesman, said last year that the agency takes over housing
authorities to maneuver a “ship that’s turned upside down right side up.”
When pressed further to explain why HUD didn’t test after telling housing
authorities testing was “strongly encouraged,” Sullivan said at the time: “You’ll
just have to point out that we don’t.”