Radon mitigation on the agenda for county supes

Whether to require radon mitigation in new homes will be discussed today by the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors during a meeting in Placerville.

In January, the board asked the Planning, Building and Environmental Management staff to develop recommendations addressing possible radon-mitigation requirements for new construction.

The county's Development Services Department is recommending that the board take no regulatory action regarding radon mitigation, according to the meeting's agenda.

Development Services also is expected to advise the county to bring potential radon-mitigation requirements to the board as new information becomes available or as California takes action on radon mitigation.

The department also will recommend that the county continue radon-education programs while encouraging property owners and contractors to voluntarily include radon-mitigation techniques in new construction.

Earlier this month, the South Lake Tahoe City Council voted against a request to have city staff develop a ordinance requiring radon-mitigation measures in homes.

Radon is a naturally occurring, odorless, radioactive gas that has been identified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as the leading cause of lung cancer among nonsmokers.

Studies have indicated that homes in the Sierra Nevada are more likely to have elevated levels of the gas compared with other areas of Nevada and California.