Estimating health effects of a regionwide residential weatherization program

Conference · Fri Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1983

OSTI ID:5893518

Sandusky, W F; Cross, F T; Craig, R A; Parker, G B

Quantitative estimates are made of the regionwide health effects due to exposure to increased indoor-pollutant concentrations of radon, formaldehyde and benzo-a-pyrene from a residential weatherization program to conserve energy by installing air infiltration-reduction measures. The quantitative methodology used assumed a no-threshold, linear relationship between health impact and pollutant concentrations (dose-response). A typical residence in this analysis is assumed to have a wood stove, a gas stove, a portable space heater (kerosene), one person who smokes, urea-formaldehyde foam insulation, well-water, and is built slab-on-grade, or with a basement, or with an unventilated crawl space. The complete tightening of all residences in the Pacific Northwest region (Oregon, Washington, Idaho, W. Montana) is expected to result in: about four additional lung cancers per year above the current level from exposure to elevated levels of radon; one additional cancer every four years above the current level for formaldehyde; and between four and five additional lung cancers above the current level from exposure to elevated levels of benzo-a-pyrene. Installing air-to-air heat exchangers after complete weatherization of residences could reduce the regionwide health effects from radon by about 50%. Eliminating residences with urea-formaldehyde foam insulation will only slightly reduce the regionwide health effects from formaldehyde. And reducing smoking and wood stove use could reduce the regionwide health effects from benzo-a-pyrene by about 50%.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 5893518
• Report Number(s): PNL-SA-11001; CONF-830744-1; ON: DE83015995
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

560306* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology-- Man-- (-1987)
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AEROSOLS
AIR POLLUTION
ALDEHYDES
AROMATICS
BENZOPYRENE
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BODY
BUILDINGS
COLLOIDS
CONDENSED AROMATICS
DISEASES
DISPERSIONS
ELEMENTS
FEDERAL REGION X
FLUIDS
FORMALDEHYDE
GASES
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
HEATING
HUMAN POPULATIONS
HYDROCARBONS
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
LUNGS
NEOPLASMS
NONMETALS
NORTH AMERICA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANS
POLLUTION
POPULATIONS
RADON
RARE GASES
RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS
RESIDUES
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
SMOKES
SOLS
SPACE HEATING
THERMAL INSULATION
TOBACCO SMOKES
USA
WEATHERIZATION