The presence of a high level of radon in some older homes at Sipayik is being addressed with the award of $1 million to the Pleasant Point Housing Authority (PPHA) for mold and radon removal through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Radon, a radioactive gas that can seep out of sediment, is a particular concern, as prolonged exposure can contribute to lung cancer.
      Having heard about high levels of radon in some of the houses at Sipayik, Janelle Sapiel, executive director of the Pleasant Point Housing Authority, bought a handheld radon detector unit to do some preliminary tests. One house came back with a reading of 9.62 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) long term and 8.08 pCi/L short term on the first floor, higher than the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) action level of 4.0 and much higher than the World Health Organization's action level of 2.7.
      In the crawlspace of the house, readings were at 21.32 long term and 21.08 short term, more than five times the EPA action level. "I was concerned," says Sapiel. "We have high rates of cancer here. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States." She adds that the level of radon in the worst house was the equivalent radiation load of getting 100 chest X rays.
      The PPHA is planning to buy filtering systems that will be installed in the houses with above actionable rates of radon, Sapiel says. There is not yet a policy or application plan in place to administer the funds, as the money wasn't guaranteed and Sapiel "didn't want to put the cart before the horse."