European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - October 8, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Magazine big increase expected in radon pollution suits the Anatomy Ofa Naraval Hazard throughout Earth crust ration s decay  that Emit can promote. Harm Potof pressure differ enc suck radon from son through open Ings  House. A attn in the absence of proper  it can to up. Stone Budino materials and in some areas Well water May also Emit radon by William k. Stevens new York times of Long after or. Joel Nobel and his family moved into their striking new Home in the lovested Hills of the main Lino Philadelphia suburb of Gladwyne. They undertook a screening of he House to find out whether its air was free of such contaminants As formaldehyde. To his Surprise Nobel a physician found the House to be contaminated by radon the naturally occurring cancer causing radioactive Gas whose widespread discovery in Homes across the country but especially in the Northeast has stirred fear concern and contusion in inc last year. In the Nobel Home radon Levels reached 55 Picq Curie per liter of air per 24 hours a King cancer risk thai Nobel said was equivalent to smoking 55 cigarettes a Day. Mow Nobel is suing the contractor who installed the Home s ventilation system he charges that Rte system channelled radon into the House and seeks to recover the Cost estimated at 1100.000, of tracking Down and eliminating the problem. R was Era of the first lawsuits of its kind in the United states but it is not expected to be the last new wanting about radon in Homes which Federal officials said May cause 5.000 to 20,000 lung cancer death year have touched off a Row among scientists Over tha True extent of the Hazard. As the experts agree that even according to the lowest estimate of risk radon poses one of America s worst environmental threats. Imp riling hundreds of thousands of households at least. Even those who believe thai Federal officiate have overstated radon s daa Liness assert that the naturally fanned radioactive Gaa is responsible Tor 10.000 of the nation s 130,000 annual lung cancer deaths several Points however Are in dispute1. What is the Mobee cancer risk at a Given level of radon exposure How Many houses have dangerous indoor radon concentrations above what concentration should Elu Zens be urged to take corrective Alton realtors building contractors and architects Are bracing Lor what they fear May be an incipient outbreak of radon suits by Home buyers. And they arc taking Steps to protect their clients and themselves. There have been some  said Ralph Holman an attorney for the National association of realtors whose specially is environmental liability issues. And to be rank i expect there will be More in the  Homeowner suits against realtors Are growing generally he said it used to be cracked basements Leaky roofs and termites now it s also radon hazardous waste Sites formaldehyde and  David Toomey. A Philadelphia lawyer who advises government agencies Industry groups and homeowners said you Wilt sea liability suits against architects and contractors. Architects Are not providing sufficient ventilation in crawl spaces for example and contractors Are not radon proofing  William Ethier associate counsel Lor the National  association in Washington called radon a god made  you can t sue  he said. Contractors have the next deepest  disclosures of serious radon contamination Are so fresh that responses to it Are still developing. In Pennsylvania where some of the most severe radon problems have bean disclosed tha Lala association of realtors is advising its members to make full disclosure of any known radon problems when Selling a House and has provided an official form Lor doing so. Lawyer an advising the same thing and they Are advising Home buyers to insist on proper inspections testing and guarantees a a condition of Safe. We re telling our buyers to put in a radon clause sort of Ilka a termite clause Toomey mid. The Federal environmental Protection Agency is trying to develop building code guidelines. David Murane an official in the Agency s radon action program said the Epa also plans to construct 100 radon proof Homes this year in a demonstration project for the time being the Epa has adopted 4 Pico Curte of radon per liter of air per 24 hours a the level of contamination at which owners should act to rid their Homes of radon. Much attention to the radon problem has focused on adjoining areas of Pennsylvania new Jersey and new York on the Reading prong a geological formation containing uranium deposits that runs northeastward from Reading a radon seeps naturally from the uranium percolating upward through the Carl i the tasteless odourless colourless Gas dissipates in the open air and poses no threat. But when confined concentrations build up to harmful Levels. In recent months experts Nave found that radon concentrations exist in the Northeast Well beyond the Reading prong. Moreover it also exists in other parts of the country. In All according to the Epa an estimated 8 million of America s 70 million Homes or 11 percent Harbor unsafe quantities of radon. The problem for Homeowner is complicated by the difficulty of measuring radon Levels reliably. In one method the simple air grab air is sampled in a House for 24 hours. But experts say Levels fluctuate widely from Day to Day. A More reliable method they say involves trapping radon particles in a charcoal filter Over a period of time. Nobel used another More elaborate measure that took several weeks. Some experts say they fear that realtors will Prada for the Shorter tests. We in the real estate business can t afford to take a Home off the Market for three months White the lasting is done said Don pall an Allentown realtor who. V headed the Pennsylvania association of real Cut task Force that developed the disclosure forma. Pitt suggested that maybe a week Long charcoal isl would suffice. The state association he said. Is drawing up a bit of  compant to measure. Radon level if testing a Chancy fixing a radon problem need not be says Nobel who operates a non profit Institute that teats medical equipment Lor safety for $150 to $2,000. He a Dep Ridino on the nature of a problem a suction Blower arrangement can tie installed usually by tha Homeowner to Channel radon out of the House and into the . Such an arrangement along with a heat pump reduced the radon in his House to acceptable Levels he said. Wednesday october 8. 1986 the Star band stripes Page 13