Radon Reporter Dec 2024

24 | December 2024 THE RADON REPORTER | 25 RADON DATA PROFICIENCY Certification Spotlight: Stephen Paternostro What certification do you have? Radon Measurement Professional How long have you been working in radon? 6 years Describe your professional experience and how you got into radon mitigation/measurement? As a Certified Industrial Hygienist, I have been challenged with qualifying and quantifying occupational exposures to various chemical, biological, and physical hazards in the workplace. Naturally, this experience lead me to assist clients in determining the extent of possible radon exposure within office spaces and residential properties. Most of our local projects are associated with real estate transaction and federal requirements. Describe what a typical workday looks like. As an environmental, health, and safety consultant, a typical workday includes assisting clients manage environmental and occupational health and safety concerns – and, determine how to reduce the risk associated with the presence of potential hazards. What do you like about working in the radon profession? My favorite part about working in the radon profession is the opportunities to perform what sometimes feels like detective work: determining the extent of potential hazards, developing a plan to discover the extent of risk associated with the hazard, quantifying the risk, and assisting my clients in reducing the extent of this risk. Any challenges so far? If so, explain. In New Orleans, it is extremely unlikely that adverse radon concentrations will be present – so, most of the challenges in my current position are associated with making recommendations to circumvent the requirement for quantifying radon in non-federal funded real estate transactions. When did you first get certified? 2022 Why did you get certified? Previous clients requested that we provide radon measurement services associated with an existing residential housing project. Why NRPP? I rolled the dice, honestly – but, I have been very happy so far. What benefit(s) did certification bring? Honestly, the education leading into certification was extremely beneficial to my long-term career goals and ability to confidently perform radon measurement services for current and future clients. Any advice for people who are considering a career in radon? I have found the consulting side of being a radon measurement professional extremely rewarding from both a personal and career-minded sense. Any advice for people who are considering certification? Certification required more effort than I anticipated when signing up – however, it has been well worth it! Location: New Orleans, Louisiana Title, Company: Environmental Health and Safety Division Manager at Leaaf Environmental LLC Radon Stakeholders Attend Biden Cancer Moonshot Roundtable at White House The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy convened “Operationalizing Radon Data for Lung Cancer Prevention” November 20 to improve the collection and dissemination of radon data through the CDC’s Environmental Public Health Tracking (EPHT) Network, as well as to support alignment on approaches to secure and share privacy- preserving, higher-resolution radon data, and actionable radon data strategies to enhance lung cancer prevention and early detection. This impactful discussion, led by Erica Kimmerling, Chris Hoover, Kathryn Kundrod, and Josh Glasser with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy on behalf of the Biden Cancer Moonshot team, laid a strong foundation for continued dialogue regarding US radon data. After the roundtable was kicked off with introductions, presentations provided an overview of the EPHT radon data collection system, other means of viewing radon risk and cancer screening needs. Participants then discussed barriers to an effective national radon test dataset through EPHT, gaps in the array of data contributions and capacities to contribute, and ideas for an improved approach. Among the actionable needs surfaced were: • a more complete, optimal, standardized radon data collection/submission format for all users (radon professionals, labs, device manufacturers for adoption by proficiency programs and/or in measurement-related standards) • submission of data from analytic devices (electret and CRM) • universal access to more usable data output, incentivizing submissions and reducing redundant report customizations • radon measurement professionals to submit data directly to CDC • data at higher resolution within address suppression requirement constraints • means of consistent geocoding of locations and applying those points to zip codes, census tracts, and census blocks • continuing to improve data cleaning and multifamily reporting • routine lung cancer screening to include some level of radon exposure Beginning in January, IEA will convene quarterly Radon Test Data Collaborative meetings to support participants in advancing plans around the shared goals, perhaps through task groups, and enable strategic action by stakeholder organizations and agencies. IEA Board President Dave Hill (Spruce Environmental), Immediate Past President Kyle Hoylman (Protect Environmental), National Directors Zan Jones (Radonova) and Kevin Stewart (American Lung Association), members Josh Kerber (Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors’ E-25 committee) and Kirsten Schmidt (Radon Detection Specialists), Executive Director Diane Swecker, and National Policy Director Jane Malone were all joined in attendance by representatives of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Indoor Environments Division, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Center for Environmental Health, National Cancer Institute (NCI)’s Tobacco Control Research and Surveillance Informatics Branches, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Radiation Safety Services, Inc., and Emory University.