WHERES THE RADON - THE GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION-SYSTEM IN WASHINGTON-STATE

As Washington's lead agency for radon issues, the Department of Health (DOH) is developing the analytical basis for establishing a public he alth policy regarding radon. The Geographic Information System (GIS) i s a fundamental step in this analytical process to develop a map of th e potential for indoor radon occurrence. The GIS analysis will take in to account geology, geography, topography, soil permeability, indoor t est results, population density and distribution, and housing. In addi tion, DOH is working to aid policy makers and residents by comparing r esidential exposures to the lowest exposure rang at which miners evide nced excess lung cancers. This approach is a departure from the common ly used risk assessments that extrapolate from high to low exposure, a nd will help determine how many Washington residents are at risk. In c onclusion there is an examination of Washington's radon prescriptive c onstruction standards for residences.