It is about time that the EPA's misconceived ideas about protecting the public come to light. While many are aware of their incompetence in dealing with toxic waste and dump sites, few are aware of their role in agonizing a troubled public over radon.
What exactly is radon? It is a relatively inert gas that is the result of the slow decay of minerals deep in the earth. The gas is radioactive and derives its name from radium the element that gives up the gas on its decay. Is it toxic? Well the EPA and other humbugs have tried to persuade the public that it is. And, no less an authority on chemistry, health and the environment than Webster's unabridged dictionary tells us so. But before we are too hasty, lets review the facts.
Not a single death due to lung cancer,resulting from exposure to radon, has occured in the United States (ever), and yet the EPA says that 20,000 deaths occur each year as the result of inhaling radon. Scientist in Finland disagree with this saying; exposure does not appear to be an important cause of lung cancer. And, this is not the only study debunking the EPA.
Well you say, better safe than sorry. I reply, OK, as long as it doesn't cost us anything. Because I believe there are many worthwhile places we can better invest our limited resources, we need to be selective. What has the EPAs scare cost us? From personal experience, I can tell you that houses built in the Baltimore, Maryland area have an additional $500 - $1,000 added to their cost due to mandated controls to avoid radon gas. Buried below the concrete slab in the basements is an intertwining network of plastic pipes which permit gases to be withdrawn and vented to the atmosphere. In addition, inspections, radon detectors, renovations etc., have cost Americans. By EPAs estimate when they were pushing a mandatory program, the cost to "protect" 100 million homes could total more than $10 billion. Thats real money!
So where does this leave us? We have the EPA ignoring studies that discredited their cause and instead continue to promote their own brand of environmental quackery. Perhaps we need a new administration that can control this particular brand of humbugery.
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ABOUT Joe Wortham