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Informationen zum Autor Michael R. Edelstein is professor of environmental psychology at Ramapo College in New Jersey and the author of Contaminated Communities. William J. Makofske is professor of environmental physics at Ramapo College and the author of Technology and Global Environmental Issues. Both previously collaborated on Radon and the Environment. Klappentext Five years after Three Mile Island awakened Americans to the dread of radioactive release, a new and potentially more consequential radioactive threat was discovered in a Pennsylvania home. Touted as the second major cause of lung cancer, the radon problem was prominent as a leading environmental risk. However, widespread acceptance of this risk has never materialized. In this vibrant account, Edelstein and Makofske unveil the complex mix of social and scientific factors that have led to public and official misunderstanding of the geologic radon issue. The lessons of radon have great relevance in a contaminated world where people are increasingly surrounded by invisible environmental hazards, where uncertainty and controversy shroud a clear understanding of the threat, and where one can choose apathetic acceptance or attempt to discern how to actively protect oneself and one's family. Zusammenfassung This work unveils the factors that have led to misunderstanding of the geologic radon issue. It shows how risk factors are hidden by mystic beliefs that contradict scientific realities and how political and scientific realities behind environmental policy can undermine an effective response. Inhaltsverzeichnis Chapter 1 Victims of a New Threat Chapter 2 Seeing the Invisible: The Recognition of Natural Radon Chapter 3 Tightrope Walking a Federal Response to Geologic Radon Chapter 4 Where Did They Hide the Dead Bodies? Chapter 5 The Myth of the Reading Prong Chapter 6 The Myth of the Quick Fix Chapter 7 Passing the Buck Chapter 8 Radon Program Decentralization Chapter 9 Marketing Radon Risk to the Wary Consumer Chapter 10 The Radon Private Sector Chapter 11 Limits of the Market Chapter 12 Radon as a Non-Regulatory Risk Chapter 13 The Societal Implications of Radon Exposure Chapter 14 The Science and Technology of Radon...
