Evaluation of state laws and regulations applicable to radon in US child care centers

Abstract

In the US, radon is the second most significant contributor to lung cancer, following smoking. Despite this, there is a notable absence of state-level measures and guidelines aimed at managing and mitigating the risks associated with exposure to radon gas. The objective of this research was to investigate whether state-level laws regarding radon in child care centers have a correlation with the proportion of counties in a given state that fall under radon zone 1 (with levels exceeding 4 pCi/L).The research method was a secondary analysis. Data was gathered from multiple sources, including the EPA radon website, academic journals, official state government websites, and state laws and regulations. The evaluation of current radon legislation was based on the EPA radon zones. To analyze the data, an independent T-Test was conducted with a significance level of P<0.05. The results showed that 39 states in the US have at least one county falling under radon zone 1, while 11 states have no counties in this category. Among these, 11 states have enacted legislation pertaining to child care centers, whereas 39 states lack any such regulations. Out of the 39 states that have one or more counties falling under radon zone 1, 28% (n=39) have implemented radon regulations specific to child care facilities. The study findings indicate that states situated entirely or partially within EPA radon zone 1 were 88% more likely to lack regulations mandating radon testing in child care centers, as compared to states not falling within this zone. However, while there is a noticeable association between state radon legislation for child care centers and the percentage of counties in radon zone 1, it is not statistically significant (p-value = 0.12).