Radon Poses Risks in Okinawa Military Housing

April 14, 2015- Several military families who have lived at Okinawa’s Plaza in Japan have lived in homes that register well above the EPA’s action level for radon exposure, according to data obtained by Stars and Stripes newspaper.

Most of Japan typically has low radon readings, according to World Health Organization figures. But the gas is a problem among the concrete military buildings in Okinawa, according to Bill Brodhead, a contractor who wrote about his findings after installing mitigation systems in Guam and Okinawa.
“The buildings are also built to withstand typhoons and consequently are very airtight,” Brodhead wrote.

A Defense Department Inspector General report in October cited a lack of mold and radon standards as “serious health hazards” and called for Pentagon-level regulations on mold mitigation.

On Okinawa, all housing falls under Kadena Air Base and Air Force radon regulations. Kadena’s rules have required that radon levels be five times higher than the EPA action level before a home will be fixed. The average wait time for mitigation on Okinawa is 442 days.

Read the full stripes.com post here.

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