Radiation Victims to Rally In Washington - Demand Congressional Action to Protect Homebuyers; Organization Labels EPA's Radon Program a 'Deadly Fail...(//www.cansar.org onclick linkClick( thi...),Health

Scientists and investigators, including those testifying before the President's Cancer Panel and the EPA Office of the Inspector General have recently criticized the lack of measurable progress in reducing the number of radon-induced lung cancers in the 20 years since the passing of the Indoor Radon Abatement Act (IRAA).

Ms. Hoffmann of Milwaukee was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2003 at age 37. She never smoked and had no family history of lung cancer. Curious as to the cause, her father tested her home of 15+ years for radon. It measured 8.6 picocuries per liter, over twice EPA's current 4 pCi/L Action Level. She underwent surgery to remove the mass and lower left lobe and has since battled through re-occurrences in 2006 and 2008.

She'll be joined in DC by Barbara Sorgatz, Marlene MacEwan and Gloria Linnertz. Ms. Sorgatz of Glen Ellyn, Illinois, had the upper lobe of her left lung removed in February of 2007. Like Hoffmann, she never smoked. Equally puzzled, she researched the Internet to learn radon is the leading cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers. Following surgery, a radon test revealed she'd been living for 23 years in concentrations over 5 times EPA's Action Level.

Ms. MacEwan and Ms. Linnertz both lost their husbands to radon-induced lung cancer and have vowed to actively pursue a government action to prevent radon exposure.

"The EPA Radon Program has been around for 22 years, yet today we have more homes with elevated levels of airborne radiation than we did at the start," says Hoffmann. "A
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