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It's time to be aware of the dangers of radon gas
November is National Lung Cancer Awareness Month. Each year, more people die from lung cancer than from all the breast cancers, colon cancers and prostrate cancers combined. Yet lung cancer research funds fall far behind those more popular charities. Why? Because people tend to associate lung cancer with smoking, which victims chose to do. Well, the people of Cancer Survivors Against Radon (www.cansar.org) would have you consider another cause of lung cancer: radon gas. Radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer after smoking, according to the U.S. surgeon general. Radon is a naturally occurring, invisible, odorless radioactive gas that is found in all soils but is more prevalent in the granite soils of the Sierra Nevada. It seeps into your house, but you won't know it's there without a test.
Six percent of the homes in Sacramento and more than half of the homes in South Lake Tahoe are over the EPA action level of 4 pCi/L (picocuries per liter), according to the California DPH Radon Office.
But there may be less radon in the new homes being built by the 254 victims of the Angora fire, 72 of which have building permits to put in foundations this fall. Supervisor Norma Santiago recently asked that El Dorado County Environmental Management prepare a radon ordinance to require all new homes in the Tahoe Basin portion of El Dorado County to be built with RRNC (radon-resistant new construction). Since building radon out during new construction is so simple and so cheap, no one should complain, yet we will have to wait and see if a new building ordinance will be accepted or fought by our local architects and builders.
Wouldn't National Lung Cancer Awareness Month be a good time for all of us to find out if we have high radon levels in our homes? Five-dollar test kits are available through the California Department of Public Health radon Web site at www.cdph.ca.gov/healthinfo/environhealth/Pages/Radon.aspx.
For more information on radon in this area, go to www.RadonAtTahoe.com.
<b>Jeff Miner</b>
South Lake Tahoe
Don't forget that tourism helps pay the city's bills
I read with great interest Larry Suydam's letter on the priority of public safety (Nov. 13). Even with all his drama, I think we all would agree; however, there have to be funds to pay for it. A city, like a family or business, must first look to the source of its income in order to pay the bills.Our source is tourist-driven. Let's face it: Without tourism, about 75 percent of all the jobs here would disappear, and our town would be about 6,000 people at best.
More than 70 percent of the city's budget comes from bed taxes and sales tax. While we have a wonderful lake and the snow is great, other cities in this state and others can compete. We must make the investment. Three years ago, the state of California cut the advertising budget almost 40 percent, and business fell as did the state tax income - and that is a fact.
To make our town a little more attractive and affordable to live, Councilman Ted Long has been fighting for housing. Councilman Mike Weber knows the value of advertising your business and the increased income that tourists bring. Councilman Jerry Birdwell was part of the vision of Ski Run Boulevard with the street lights and bike paths, retail, etc. No one in a wheelchair has to go in the street on Ski Run Boulevard.
Our fire was tragic, but no one died, and our fire and police personnel did a great job. If you wish to talk about the source of the fire, fine, but to say any three people do not care is absurd.
We all support our fire and police department.
<b>Joseph Balius</b>
South Lake Tahoe
