Consistent with plans relative to our continuous maintenance program, the latest publications of ANSI/AARST MS-PC and ANSI/AARST MS-QA are being published for public review.

MS-PC Performance Specifications for Instrumentation Systems Designed to Measure Radon Gas in Air

This standard specifies minimum performance criteria and testing procedures for instruments and/or systems designed to quantify the concentration of 222Rn gas in air.

MS-QA Radon Measurement Systems Quality Assurance

This standard of practice specifies minimum requirements for quality systems designed to quantify the concentration of 222Rn gas in air by qualified professionals and laboratories, whose data are intended to be used to determine the need for, or success of, radon mitigation.

To access content for public review, please CLICK HERE. Deadline for Comments is October 7th, 2024.

November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month and November 21st marks the annual Great American Smokeout Tobacco Awareness Holiday. Considering tobacco smoke and radon exposure are the two leading causes of lung cancer, and exposure to both heightens the probability of developing the disease, it is important to acknowledge the benefits of radon exposure risk reduction and the benefits of tobacco cessation, and to help link individuals with proven-effective strategies to eliminate both from impacting them and families across the U.S.

Join presenters from the American Lung Association and the Indoor Environments Association as they discuss the impact of radon-smoking synergy and explore proven-effective strategies, tips, and tricks to obtaining and maintaining a tobacco-free lifestyle for good. Register for the Radon-Smoking Synergy: Proven-Effective Strategies to Lower Your Risk for Lung Cancer webcast HERE.

IEA members in North Carolina now have the option to get involved in the newly formed North Carolina Chapter of the IEA. On August 28th, the NC Chapter held a virtual meeting to launch the chapter. Discussion took place related to the chapter’s focus on regulation through certification in North Carolina in the future. The NC Chapter has an opportunity to attend an upcoming state regulatory hearing related to the radon industry in Raleigh on September 25th to show the chapter’s united front regarding intentions of pursuing regulatory compliance with the AARST standard/ EPA recommendations, as well as state-required certification, within the State of North Carolina. If you are interested in being involved in the NC Chapter and/or attending the upcoming hearing, please reach out to the President of the NC Chapter, Myca Bruno, at NCchapterIEA@gmail.com.

NRPP will be adding pilot questions to its exams starting on October 1, 2024. Ten (10) pilot questions will be added to the Radon Measurement Field Technician (RMFT) and Radon Mitigation Installer (RMI) exams, increasing the total number of questions on each of those exams from 85 to 95. Fifteen (15) pilot questions will be added to the Radon Measurement Professional (RMP) and Radon Mitigation Specialist (RMS) exams, increasing the number of questions on those exams from 150 to 165.

Pilot questions are unscored questions, meaning the responses do not count for or against the test-takers’ exam scores. Adding pilot questions to the exams will allow NRPP to “try out” newly written questions to determine if they are fair and can be used in the future as scored questions. The goal is to expand the “bank” of solid, well-written questions that NRPP’s test developers can draw from to create new exams.

NRPP collects diagnostic information for each question and calculates statistics such as difficulty and discrimination. If a question doesn’t perform well – for example, if nobody gets it correct – it is either revised and pilot tested again or removed from the bank so it won’t be on an exam in the future. By knowing how questions perform before using them as scored questions, NRPP will enhance the quality of exams and help to ensure that the exams are fair and reliable indicators of the test-takers’ knowledge. The addition of 15 questions to the RMP and RMS exams is not expected to greatly lengthen testing time; currently, test-takers rarely use the full three hours and, on average, complete the RMP and RMS exams in 90 minutes or less.

NRPP’s Compliance Office staff and Certification Council have been working on an expanded compliance policy to more clearly define how NRPP handles complaints.

Changes will include the following:
• More defined classes of violations and associated disciplinary actions
• Procedures to submit complaints against certification activities (certification policies & requirements)
• A clearly delineated appeals process
• A mechanism for state radon programs and other contractors to alert NRPP of any potential standards violations

The new policy will also include reporting of violations to state radon offices and public notification of more severe substantiated infractions.

NRPP certification identifies individuals who have met certification requirements and who have demonstrated the knowledge and skills required to measure and/or mitigate radon effectively, ensuring the public’s safety and protecting the public’s health and wellbeing. NRPP has a responsibility to identify those individuals who are not practicing safely or ethically, or who have violated the terms of their certification and/or ANSI/AARST Standards.

The goal of NRPP’s progressive disciplinary policy is, and will continue to be, to identify and correct behavior and to educate and nurture professional practice in alignment with professional requirements and standards of practice to prevent more serious issues from occurring. The NRPP Compliance Office handled over 12 complaints last year, some of which resulted in suspension or revocation of certification.

Chapter / Regional Meetings

• Midwest IEA Lung Force Walk | October 20th | Wheaton, IL

Welcome to the Newest
NRPP-Certified Professionals!