Radon: 2nd Leading Cause of Lung Cancer

Posted on | January 21, 2010 | Comments Off

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Although testing for radon is easy and inexpensive, 80 percent of the homes in the U.S. have not been tested. Radon is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas that EPA has reported as causing 20,000 lung cancer deaths nationwide every year.

Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer, after cigarette smoking. January is the best time to test for radon now that doors and windows are all tightly closed. Now is the time to test and if needed, reduce your exposure to radon. That’s why EPA designated January ‘radon action month.’

High radon levels have been found throughout EPA’s mid-Atlantic region, which includes Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. The only way to know if you and your family are at risk from radon is to test your home for radon or have it tested by a certified professional radon tester. For do-it-yourselfers, radon kits can be purchased for $25 at building supply, hardware and general merchandise stores. A basic test takes 10 minutes to set up and when complete is mailed to a lab for analysis.

If test results are above the EPA recommended action level you need to have the radon level reduced by a certified radon ‘mitigator.’ Reducing radon is not technically difficult and costs approximately $800 – $2,500.

To locate professional radon testers and certified radon ‘mitigators’ near you by look on the web at either the “National Environmental Health Association” or “National Radon Safety Board” sites. Be sure to ask to see their credentials.

Radon is a radioactive gas produced from the uranium which is in the geological formation under the soil. The amount or radon gas varies depending on the amount of uranium in the formation. The type of soil under the house, the design of the house and the life style or the family living in the house all affect the amount of radon gas that enters a home.

For more info on radon:

· EPA’s National Radon Hotline, 1-800-438-2474
· For lists of certified testers and mitigators use the web to search for the “National
· EPA’s radon website http://www.epa.gov/radon/radontest.html.Environmental Health Association” and/or “National Radon Safety Board”.
· EPA’s mid-Atlantic region, 1-800-438-2474
· The National Environmental Publications Center, 1-800-490-9198 or http://www.epa.gov/cinc. They have “Citizens Guide to Radon” and “Home Buyers and Sellers Guide”

Editor’s Note: See EPA’s website for free, publically-available graphics about radon and public Service announcements for print, television, and radio at http://www.epa.gov/radon.

Most Violent Earthquake In A Century

Posted on | January 20, 2010 | Comments Off

On January 12, 2010, Haiti was struck by the most violent earthquake in a century. Michael Blanpied, associate coordinator for the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program, answers questions about the earthquake, its severe shaking, and the possibility of additional hazards, such as landslides and a tsunami.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 06:03:44 AM at epicenter there was an aftershock of Magnitude 6.1.

Earthquake Activity

Posted on | January 13, 2010 | Comments Off

USGS
Magnitude 7.0 – HAITI REGION
2010 January 12 21:53:09 UTC
15 km (10 miles) SW of PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti

USGS
Magnitude 6.5 – OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
2010 January 10 00:27:39 UTC
37 km (23 miles) WNW (283°) from Ferndale, CA

USGS
Magnitude 4.1 – SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, CALIFORNIA
2010 January 07 18:09:35 UTC
10 km (6 miles) ENE (59°) from Milpitas, CA

USGS
Magnitude 5.8 – BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
2009 December 30 18:48:57 UTC
21 km (13 miles) NNW (339°) from Guadalupe Victoria, Baja California, Mexico

Quake-stunned Haitians pile bodies by fallen homes
By JONATHAN M. KATZ, Associated Press Writer
“PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Haitians piled bodies along the devastated streets of their capital Wednesday after the strongest earthquake to hit the poor Caribbean nation in more than 200 years crushed thousands of structures, from schools and shacks to the National Palace and the U.N. peacekeeping headquarters. Untold numbers were still trapped.

It seemed clear that the death toll from Tuesday afternoon’s magnitude-7.0 quake would run into the thousands. France’s foreign minister said the head of the U.N. peacekeeping mission was apparently among the dead.”

“The hospitals cannot handle all these victims,” Dr. Louis-Gerard Gilles, a former senator, said as he helped survivors. “Haiti needs to pray. We all need to pray together.”

“It would appear that everyone who was in the building, including my friend Hedi Annabi, the United Nations’ Secretary General’s special envoy, and everyone with him and around him, are dead,” French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Wednesday, speaking on RTL radio.

“Everybody is just totally, totally freaked out and shaken,” said Henry Bahn, a U.S. Department of Agriculture official visiting Port-au-Prince. “The sky is just gray with dust.”

The New York Times
California: Earthquake Damage Climbs
“The damage estimate from the earthquake on Saturday in Eureka has climbed to $21.9 million, officials said. The figure reflects damage to 240 buildings….”

Come On Down! The Price Is Right with Bob Barker’s Boat

Posted on | January 6, 2010 | Comments Off

Bob Barker (yes, the famous game show host) gave 5 million dollars to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society to buy a boat. The Society named the boat after him.

Another of the Society’s boats was trying to stop Japanese whaling. The boat was hit by the Japenese and was sinking in the Antartic waters… when the six man crew was rescued by the Bob Barker.

The Society said, “Japanese Whalers Ram Sea Shepherd Ship Ady Gil – In an unprovoked attack captured on film, the Japanese security ship Shonan Maru No. 2 deliberately rammed and caused catastrophic damage to the Sea Shepherd catamaran Ady Gil. Six crew crewmembers, five from New Zealand and one from the Netherlands were immediately rescued by the crew of the Sea Shepherd ship Bob Barker. None of the crew Ady Gil crew were injured. The Ady Gil is believed to be sinking and chances of salvage are very grim….”