Three Moab-based conservation groups have filed a lawsuit to halt uranium exploration and the construction of radon vent holes in Manti-La Sal National Forest near La Sal.

The groups – Uranium Watch, the Center for Water Advocacy, and Living Rivers – filed the action in U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City on July 29, challenging a decision by the U.S. Forest Service to allow the drilling of 16 exploration drill holes and two radon vent holes as part of an expansion of the Pandora Uranium Mine.

The suit says the Forest Service gave Denver-based Denison Mines Corp. (USA) approval for the drilling operations as part of an expansion of its Pandora mine complex without completing a full environmental analysis.

In July EPA launched its Radon Video Contest, seeking public service announcements on the theme "Radon: Test, Fix, Save a Life," which encourage Americans to test their homes for radon, and fix when necessary. EPA received more than 30 entries!

EPA is pleased to announce that the winning entry in the Radon Video Contest is “Radon: Eddie’s Story” submitted by Benjamin Schultz and Michael Gentilini.

EPA would also like to recognize to the following videos as Honorable Mentions:

A federal judge will allow a uranium mining company to drill several new holes in the Manti-La Sal National Forest.

Three Moab conservation groups had asked Judge Dale A. Kimball to halt the drilling planned by Denison Mines Corp. at its Pandora Mine, claiming the U.S. Forest Service permitted the project without an adequate environmental study.

Uranium Watch, Center for Water Advocacy and Living Rivers argued that Denison would create radioactive air emissions and heavy metal contamination if it drills 16 exploration holes and two radon vent holes, a project approved by the Forest Service.

Kimball gave more weight to Denison’s environmental expert, who said there was no significant risk of environmental harm. Kimball also wrote that the Forest Service followed procedural rules when it allowed the project without environmental assessments or impact statements.

Habitat for Humanity is building a radon-resistant home in Utah County.

The volunteer group says Miss Utah Christina Lowe will be on hand Tuesday as crews finish framing the 1,500-square foot house in Springville.

Also, the Utah Department of Environmental Quality and Utah County Health Department plan to hold a news conference.

Habitat for Humanity says the house will have a separate ventilation system that sucks radon from the ground and vents it through the roof.

Radon can cause cancer. It's a colorless and odorless gas that comes from radioactive decay in soils and rocks.

The Springville house is being built for a low-income couple with four children who live in a crowded apartment.

Crews expect to have the house ready for the family on Monday.

To view this article, visit http://www.heraldextra.com/news/state-and-regional/utah/article_8aca5f85-08d5-58d9-b3af-843037a04aee.html.

CHICOPEE, Mass. (Mass Appeal) - You can't see radon. And you can't smell it or taste it. But it may be a problem in your home. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. To share important facts to keep you and your family safe is American Lung Association of New England President & CEO Jeffrey Seyler.

How Radon gets into your home

•Cracks in solid floors/walls
•Water supply
•Construction joints
•Gaps in suspended floors
•Gaps around service pipes
•Cavities inside walls

There's no knowing that your house is more susceptible to your neighbors. One neighbor could have it, another could not. Just like you would have a carbon or smoke detector, are there raydon detectors?

No. But there are tests you can do in your home.

More than a dozen public and community water systems in the Morris County region contain radon at levels higher than what a state environmental committee has recommended is safe.

But 18 months after the radon subcommittee of the Drinking Water Quality Institute suggested a standard for water systems, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection still has not put any regulations in place to limit the amount of the cancer-causing gas in water.

"Right now, the only thing they tell you to do is stand back from the water when you turn it on in the morning,'' said Jeff Tittel, head of the New Jersey Chapter of the Sierra Club. "They should have put together a standard decades ago.''
Radon is an odorless, colorless gas prevalent in the Highlands region, part of the Reading Prong geological area, due to the uranium-rich rock. Radon is released when uranium decays.

James Burkhart, Ph.D., Editor of the 2008 International Radon Symposium Proceedings, is pleased to announce that the 2008 Proceedings are now available for review and download. Research published in previous years is also available for download on the AARST website. There is no charge to download these research papers and you do not have to be an AARST member to use this web database.

AARST associate membership and full membership fees support free, worldwide access to peer-reviewed research, which in turn contributes to international science and the reduction of risk from radon-induced lung cancer. Therefore, all radon professionals are invited and encouraged to consider joining AARST to support this important work.

A CD version of the Proceedings will be published in late October of this year.

Laura Longhurst doesn’t want anyone else to find out about radon the way she did — with a diagnosis of advanced lung cancer.

“We have our heads in the sand,” she told the Utah Radiation Control Board, describing her experience with the nation’s second-leading cause of lung cancer. “We shouldn’t have to learn this way.”

Longhurst and three others were honored by the board on Tuesday for their work in getting the word out about the dangers of this naturally-occurring gas and the importance of having Utah homes tested for it.

Christine Keyser, coordinator of the state’s indoor radon program, noted that the Environmental Protection Agency’s “action level” for radon is at concentrations of 4 picocuries of radon per liter of air or more. At that level, the lifetime risk of getting lung cancer from radon increases by about 2 cases per 1,000 residents, and it increases by 29 cases per 1,000 smokers.

“It takes a community to really get the word out,” she said.

1. Lung cancer affects women differently than men, and young women (under 40) are at greater risk for developing lung cancer than young men.

2. More women die of lung cancer than any other cancer, including breast cancer, ovarian cancer and uterine cancers combined. Smoking is the primary cause of lung cancer, so if you smoke, quit.

3. Your risk of lung cancer continues to decline with every year you don't smoke. However, if you used to smoke, you remain at increased risk for lung cancer for at least 20 years after you quit.

4. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer, so if you live in an area with high levels of radium in the bedrock, have your house tested for radon exposure. To find out more, go to http://www.epa.gov/iaq/radon/zonemap.html.

RADON DANGERS — It comes out of the ground, is the second leading cause of lung cancer, and all homes are susceptible to the deadly radioactive gas. These are just a few of the facts that inspired three area students to be named regional winners in a statewide poster contest designed to educate and raise awareness about the harmful effects of indoor radon gas.

Radon is a colorless, odorless, tasteless radioactive gas. It comes from the natural decay of uranium that is found in nearly all soils. It enters homes through small cracks in foundations and crawl spaces. High levels of the radioactive gas are responsible for nearly 1,200 lung-cancer deaths in the state of Illinois each year.

“Radon is one of the things you never know you have until you test your home,” said Patti Thompson, communications manager of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.