Act Up NOW! On Radon!!
We need to ask President Obama immediately to get the ball rolling toward adequate funding, research and standards for radon (radioactive) prevention in homes.
Go to www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
You may email your comments to President Obama by using the President’s contact form. Once your have completed all of the fields, click on “SUBMIT.” If you’d rather write a letter, fax or telegram, the President’s mailing address and fax number are listed here:
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The White House |
President Obama’s |
Sample Letter:
Help make a difference toward radon prevention by using the following sample letter — or modify it as you see fit!
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We need your help. Americans are dying by the tens of thousands each year from radioactive particles inhaled in their homes. Radon is a radioactive gas that accumulates in our homes without an invitation. It is odorless, tasteless and colorless; it is a silent killer; radon causes lung cancer. Gloria Linnertz of Illinois, Marlene MacEwan of Oregon, and hundreds of thousands of others lost their spouses to lung cancer. Barbara Sorgatz of Illinois developed Stage 1 lung cancer a few years ago and was fortunate to catch it early. Liz Hoffmann was 37 years old when diagnosed with Stage 3 lung cancer and shortly thereafter, she found that her home tested high with radon, a radioactive gas and a Group 1 (demonstrated to cause cancer) human carcinogen. She never smoked. Liz helped found Cancer Survivors Against Radon to create a voice for those who can no longer speak. In six years that have passed, Liz’s cancer has returned twice and now has progressed to Stage 4. There is only a 15% five year survival rate for lung cancer victims. Gloria’s home tested 4 times higher than the EPA recommended radon action level, Marlene’s home tested 15 times higher, Barbara’s home tested 5 times higher, and Liz’s home was 2 times higher. None of these women had ever heard of radon gas before they encountered the diagnosis of lung cancer. Up to 25,000 Americans die each year from Radon-Induced Lung Cancer. Since 1988, the Environmental Protection Agency has had a voluntary program for radon reduction, but it has been ineffective in reversing the growing number of lung cancer deaths related to radon exposure. Indoor radon is a radioactive gas and a Group 1 carcinogen (demonstrated to cause human lung cancer) that is the direct result of the way homes are designed and built. It may be present in as many as 8 million American homes. We don’t know exactly because the USEPA conducts virtually no radon research. Furthermore, EPA’s radon program funding has declined in constant dollars by 25% over the past 10 years. Please ask your new EPA administrator, Lisa Jackson, to put an increased priority on the goals and requirements of the 1988 Indoor Radon Abatement Act and work out a plan with the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (the McKinney Amendments), that will require, in high risk areas, all federally-backed mortgages to have a radon test and, in lower risk areas, to have a strong radon notification, at the time of home sale. The notification clause is similar to the law of your home state of Illinois (the 2008 Illinois Radon Awareness Act). President Obama, you can make a difference with your actions and help save a significant share of 25,000 American lives lost each year due to indoor radon. We need your help. Thank you. |
Instructions for How to Copy and Paste the Letter
To copy and paste the letter into the President’s web form at www.whitehouse.gov/contact/, point your mouse arrow at the beginning of the text that you want to copy. Click your left mouse button and hold it down. While holding the left mouse button, drag your arrow to the end of the text that you want to copy. Release the button. The text should be highlighted. Place your mouse arrow over the highlighted text, click your right mouse button once and let go. A new menu should appear. Select Copy from the drop down menu. When you get to the message form field for President Obama at www.whitehouse.gov/contact/, point your arrow at the beginning of the message field that you want to copy your text to and right click with your mouse. Click Paste from this menu. Submit your form and help make a difference toward radon prevention!
