WASHINGTON — Today, Oct. 17, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a total of $1 million in awards to six recipients to address asthma, radon, and other indoor air health risks. These cooperative agreements will advance national policy and systems-level change to reduce indoor air risks and yield measurable environmental and public health benefits.

“The EPA is proud to partner with these leading organizations to address the serious threats posed by poor indoor air quality,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation Joe Goffman. “With these agreements, the agency advances our commitment to communities across the country by providing financial and technical assistance so they can take action to prevent lung cancer, asthma episodes, and other respiratory diseases.”

Americans spend up to 90% of their time indoors, making indoor air quality a critical public health issue. For example, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States and asthma affects 25 million Americans, including nearly 5 million children, with poor and minority children suffering a greater burden of the disease.

These new awards will help efforts to:

• Prevent lung cancer by promoting testing and fixing homes, schools, and other buildings with elevated radon levels.
• Prevent asthma attacks, emergency room visits, and other poor asthma health outcomes by supporting delivery, infrastructure and sustainability of environmental asthma interventions at home and school, with a focus on disproportionately impacted populations.
• Prevent other indoor air problems and associated poor health outcomes through expanded support of state and local efforts to improve indoor air quality by promoting best practices and policies.

The following organizations were awarded $175,000 each for the first year of the three-year cooperative agreements:

• Kansas State University will work to reduce lung cancer deaths by supporting radon testing and mitigation. This includes operating a national radon hotline and website, conducting performance assessments of common consumer grade digital radon monitors, selling radon test kits, and working to increase the number of credentialed radon professionals.

• The American Lung Association will work to build national-scale capacity and systems to increase the number of new homes, schools and workplaces built with radon-resistant new construction, and the number of existing homes, schools and workplaces mitigated for elevated levels of radon gas. ALA has two primary objectives for this award: 1) to support the implementation of the National Radon Action Plan, and 2) to build the capacity of underserved communities to reduce radon risk.

• The Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors, in support of the National Radon Action Plan, will provide coordinated assistance to states, Tribes and local governments working to reduce radon risk. This will include technical assistance aimed at the adoption of consensus standards for radon testing and mitigation nationally and within state and Tribal radon programs.

• The Public Health Institute, through their Regional Asthma Management and Prevention project, will build the capacity of states and communities to affect policy and systems change aimed at ensuring sustained access to in-home environmental asthma interventions for children disproportionately impacted by asthma. This work will include providing individualized technical assistance, facilitating opportunities for peer learning, and creating new tools and resources to share successes, challenges, and lessons learned.

• The National Center for Healthy Housing will amplify and expand national-scale capacity to address Indoor Environmental Determinants of Health, reduce indoor air risks, and accelerate sustainable policy and systems-level actions to improve indoor air quality. This work will include providing flexible and responsive technical assistance, resources, and support to states, Tribes, and communities designed to increase their capacity and readiness to advance strategies to improve indoor air quality.

• The Environmental Law Institute will advance state policies and programs for comprehensive indoor air risk reduction by convening workshops for indoor air quality officials. ELI will also provide the public clear and practical information describing the current state of indoor air quality policies and highlighting policy models for reducing indoor air exposures.

Learn more about radon, asthma, and indoor air quality.