Continue working on the naturally occurring risk you analyzed in Week 3 (Radon Gas). This week, you will establish the significance of the risk, the stakeholders, and the scientific, technological, and societal issues pertaining to the risk. In addition, you will turn to the critical focus of environmental health management—mitigation of the negative effects on population health.
Instructions
Write a 4–5 page paper, based on the natural environmental health risk selected in Week 3.
Explain why this naturally occurring risk is important enough for you to research it. This may include information from your risk analyses in Week 3 or other reasons, such as the number of stakeholders, recent incidents, or personal experience.
Analyze three important scientific, technological, or societal issues pertaining to your chosen natural environmental risk.
Justify the importance of these issues based on your research and provide references to sources that support your analysis. To help guide your research and selection of these issues, note the following:
Scientific issues may include the fields of science involved in the study or mitigation of this risk or other issues.
Technological issues may include, for example, the types of technology that are available to determine and mitigate the risk.
Societal issues may include, for example, socioeconomic impacts and disparities, geographic occurrence, and others.
Recommend a specific mitigation strategy for the natural environmental risk based on your comparison of at least two specific mitigation programs, policies, or strategies you discover through research.
Use at least four sources to support your writing. Choose sources that are credible, relevant, and appropriate. Cite each source listed on your source page at least one time within your assignment. For help with research, writing, and citation, access the library or review library guides.
Sample Answer
$\text{The Silent Threat: Establishing and Mitigating the Risk of Radon Gas}$
Radon gas is a naturally occurring, odorless, colorless, and tasteless radioactive gas produced by the decay of uranium found in nearly all soil and rock.1 As it moves up through the ground, it can enter buildings through cracks, gaps, and other openings in the foundation, accumulating to dangerous levels indoors.2 This pervasive, yet invisible, contaminant represents one of the most significant and preventable environmental health risks globally.
$\text{Significance of the Radon Risk}$
The need to research and actively manage radon exposure is justified by its profound and largely unrecognized impact on public health.3 Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer overall in the United States, and the leading cause among non-smokers (NIEHS, 2024).4 This fact alone elevates it from a mere environmental curiosity to a critical public health crisis demanding immediate attention.
While radon concentration is typically low outdoors, it can become highly concentrated in enclosed spaces, where people spend the majority of their time—especially in homes, schools, and workplaces (WHO, 2009). The radioactive decay products of radon, particularly Polonium-218 and Polonium-214, attach to airborne particles that are inhaled and deposit in the lungs. Once deposited, these particles emit alpha radiation, which damages the DNA of the lung tissue, initiating the process of carcinogenesis (StatPearls, 2024).
The significance of this risk is further amplified by the following:
Preventable Mortality: Radon is estimated to cause over 21,000 lung cancer deaths annually in the U.S. (CDC, 2024). Since effective and cost-efficient mitigation technologies exist, a vast majority of these deaths are preventable.
Synergistic Risk with Smoking: The combined exposure to radon and tobacco smoke creates a far greater risk for lung cancer than either factor alone, significantly increasing the cancer risk for smokers and former smokers (NIEHS, 2024).