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Duke to Host Workshop on Health Risks of Radon in N.C. Wells, Groundwater

Potentially troublesome gas common in private wells and groundwaters in the piedmont and mountain regions

National and local experts will gather at Duke University on Wednesday, Oct. 4, for a workshop to examine the health risks posed by radon accumulation in private wells and other groundwater supplies in North Carolina.

The workshop, which is free and open to the public, will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Kirby Horton Hall at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens on Duke's campus. The workshop is co-sponsored by Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences and the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive and cancer-causing gas that can accumulate in groundwater supplies and in indoor air spaces at levels that may pose risks to human health.

Radon-rich groundwater typically is found in areas where underlying rocks are naturally rich in uranium, such as granite and granitic gneisses. Such rocks are common in the North Carolina piedmont and mountains, as well as in many other regions worldwide.

Studies have shown that most private wells in North Carolina's piedmont and mountain regions contain radon levels above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recommended maximum contaminant level of 300 picocuries per liter. A picocurie is a unit of measurement used to gauge radioactive activity.

"During the past decade, a lot of attention has been paid to educating the public about the risks of radon in indoor air spaces, but much less attention has been focused on determining the health risks and so-called 'safe' levels of radon in household water," said workshop organizer Avner Vengosh, associate professor of earth and ocean sciences at the Nicholas School. "This workshop will assess these risks and review what can be done to improve current federal and state policies designed to protect people."

Workshop speakers will come from the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Geological Survey, the North Carolina Division of Water Quality, Duke, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and other universities and government agencies.

Advance registration is required. An agenda, directions and the registration form are online at www.nicholas.duke.edu/radon.