Average post-mitigation levels ↪Brian R Gaulke et al.
Looking at the survey results for why people did not take steps to mitigate ...
• Did not consider their radon levels were particularly high (35% of respondents)
• Concern about the cost of mitigation (18% of respondents)
• Did not yet find the time to mitigate (8%)
• Lack of information or didn’t know what to do to reduce their radon levels (8%)
... I think that Brian is right in that those who would say, "'I haven't gotten sick yet' etc." are probably buried among that 35% group--and I suspect even among the latter groups.
But I have these additional thoughts about that list of four reasons.
- The great thing, the advantage of having this list, is not only that one knows better what the barriers are, but also, with a little thought, that they are all to some extent Addressable. I believe that improved public health education and creative thinking can help make progress on all of these barriers. That is the good news. In reverse order...
• Lack of information / didn't know what to do: Establish/improve avenues for brief, clear communication on this matter (e.g., "three simple steps"), referring people to a trusted neutral financially-disinterested source, when initial radon results are above the action level.
• Not yet find time: To the extent this is not just a "convenient reason to give," be sure to communicate somehow--at least in FAQ pages--what time commitment is necessary here. It strikes me that the biggest issue is the matter of what time investment is required to research what needs to be done, who is qualified to do it, how much it will cost, etc. To the extent that process can be facilitated collaboratively among all qualified radon testing and mitigation firms, and with government support, this could alleviate a lot of the misgivings people feel as they get into something that is a complete mystery to them.
• Concern about cost: This requires a little more research: Is it that people know the costs and still have concerns? Or is it that they have little idea of the true costs, and armed with what "horror stories" they may have heard, are simply fearing the unknown? (To be sure, this is tied into the risk-cost-benefit analysis people do that I address in the next bullet.) The solution will depend on the source of this concern. While it may hoped that external sources of funding may yet be created to assist in mitigation subsidies for low-income households, the issue for many people could be addressed by a mixture of messaging around the idea of what cost range is expected, comparing this with routine expenses, etc., and perhaps offering ways to help people "divide and conquer" by paying in installments, some before the work and some after, if the full amount doesn't fit their budget.
• Didn't consider levels particularly high: Again, this is a big category and could benefit from drilling down a little. For example, what levels would they consider high enough and why? People are notoriously irrational about assessing and comparing levels of risk, so we have to recognize that and work with that reality. Even for things like cigarette smoking, which kills far more people than radon, and failure to use seat belts, it has taken years to adjust social norms to recognize these as risky enough to change behaviors. As we all know, radon exposure gives no sensations, and produces no immediate symptoms, so it is easy for people to regard their levels as "not particularly high." (After all, if not with full awareness, they at least subconsciously feel that if radon were elevated, they Would somehow sense it or feel symptoms.) This state of affairs is a call for clear, consistent, repeated education, not only about radon, but also about what levels of exposure warrant mitigation--even though essentially NO level of radon is detectable by senses or by immediate symptoms. And even though cause-effect in any Particular case cannot be shown, the stories of people who got lung cancer even at those "not particularly high" levels of exposure need to be told as well.