Date Published: 01/29/2020 [Source]
In a small cubicle on the fourth floor of a beige government building, seven TRAX stops west of downtown, one woman is on a mission to save lungs. She wants every Utahn to know what radon is, how dangerous it can be, and what they can do about it.
But the first and biggest hurdle is navigating her own lawless state.
Utah has no meaningful regulations for the carcinogenic gas that's produced as uranium breaks down in the soil, then seeps into basements and ground-level floors, posing a health hazard to anyone breathing it.
Yet Eleanor Divver, Utah's radon project coordinator, has seen states like Minnesota, Illinois and Maine pass laws that are making a difference. These states and others have created policies that impact residents at crucial junctures like new home construction, home sales and school classrooms — potentially saving lives.
But here in Utah, Divver can point out a string of gaps in the system — holes that keep families at risk.