REMOVE

Radon Evaluation, MitigatiOn and VEntilation

A community-based research to advance environmental health and justice

The research project REMOVE is a 3-year community-centered research funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

We are developing a participatory program - Radon Evaluation, Mitigation, and ventilation (REMOVE) to empower African American homeowners so that they can effectively take actions to become knowledgeable about and reduce their risks of exposure to radon.

We conduct 200 surveys in Atlanta to understand the basic radon knowledge among homeowners. Engaging high school students and community researchers, we then develop geographically focused participatory mapping and messaging that can influence knowledge, attitudes, and behavior to reduce radon exposure.

Our research find that houses in fault zones are more likely to have radon above the action level.

  • Radon is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless radioactive gas

  • Radon exposure is the leading cause of lung cancer after smoking

  • Funded by the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Dai's research used GIS techniques to delineate radon hotspots and gamma emissions.

  • Our results showed that indoor radon levels were more likely to exceed the EPA's action level - 4 pCi/L in fault zones, but significantly negatively related to the presence of a crawlspace foundation and its combination with a slab.

  • More details can be seen in the publication: Dai et al 2019 Science of the Total Environment