Radon Action Month: Eileen Lowery on 95.9
On Friday, January 8, 2010 Eileen Lowery, manager for lung cancer and lung health initiatives, was interviewed about Radon Action Month on 95.9 The River with Scott MacKay. To listen to the clip, click here.
Full transcript
Scott MacKay: 95.9 The River, I am MacKay in the morning, and I do not know if you know this or not, but January is National Radon Action Month and with me now is Eileen Lowery. She is a registered nurse. Good morning!
Eileen Lowery: Good morning!
SM: So you are also a manager of lung cancer and lunch health initiatives at the Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago.
EL: That is in the West Loop.
SM: Being National Action Radon Month, what kind of action should people be taking?
EL: Well, the action people should take is to test their home for radon, and the reason is that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer, responsible for almost 20,000 lung cancer deaths every year.
SM: Wow.
EL: Yeah.
SM: I didn’t know that.
EL: Yeah, well, radon is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas, and it seeps into your home through cracks in the foundation.
SM: But where is it coming form? Just the earth?
EL: Well, radon comes from the decay of uranium in the soil. Uranium is a rock, and it is part of the glacier formation, so it's naturally occurring in our, in our earth. And when you put a house on top of it and it decays, it can creep through any crack in the foundation
SM: So how do people deal with that?
EL: Well first you test, because the only way to know if you have it or not is to test. Most of Illinois is in a moderate zone for potential for radon, but really the only way to know if radon is in your home is to test for it.
SM: And what do they do if they find it?
EL: Well then they, the fancy work is "mitigate," so they get rid of it. What they do is they put a pipe and vent situation in. So they put pipes, like PVC pipe, underneath the home, and then vent it out past the highest eve. Radon is a noble gas and so it's really heavy, so as it rises is dissipates.
SM: Wow!
EL: Yeah.
SM: That is a lot of stuff, Eileen Lowery is a registered nurse and she works with the Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago. We're talking about Nation Radon Action Month. Now is there any way people can see you come and talk about this, or do you do presentations?
EL: Well, yeah, As a matter of fact, thanks for asking, Scott! I am doing a presentation at Alexian Brothers Hospital on January 19th.
SM: Oh, so that is coming right up.
EL: It is! From 1 to 2 in the afternoon and for people to come and see me they just need to call. It's free, but they need to call to make reservations. They need to call Alexian Brothers at 1-866-ALEXIAN or 1-866-253-9425.
SM: Well thank you very much, Eileen, and don’t forget the 19th at Alexian Brothers you are doing a presentation.
EL: Yes.
SM: Thank you so much!
EL: Thank you, Scott.
SM: And happy new year!
EL: Happy new year to you!
