Newspaper Page Text
MONROE COUNTY
Community
Calendar
Calendar items run free
of charge as a community
service each week as space
allows. Mail items for the
Community Calendar to Diane
Clidewell at newMmymcr.net
by 8 a.m. on Monday.
Aug. 4
Juliette River Club
will meet
The Juliette River Club will
meet on Thursday, Aug. 4
at Juliette Methodist Church,
69 McCrackin St, Juliette.
The guest speaker will be
Robert Harvil, the opera
tor of Committed Christian
Outdoors.
Aug. 6
Swingin' Medallions
Concert on the Square
Forsyth Main Street will
present the Swingin' Medal
lions on Saturday, Aug. 6 in
the final summer event of its
free Concert on the Square
series. The Swingin' Medal
lions concert will begin at
8 p.m., but come out earlier
and enjoy the evening in
Forsyth.
Aug. 11
Monroe County
Democratic Comm, to
elect delegates
Monroe County Demo
cratic Committee will elect
delegates to the 2022
Democratic Party of Georgia
State Convention on Thurs
day, Aug.l 1 at the St. Luke
AME Fellowship Hall at 6:30
p.m. The Monroe County
Democratic Committee is
allotted 2 delegates and
1 alternate. The Georgia
Democratic Party State
Convention will be held
Aug. 27 in Columbus. You
must be a registered voter in
Monroe County to qualify as
a candidate and complete a
candidate affidavit.
Sept. 10
Juliette Roadway
Clean-up
The Juliette River Club will
have a Juliette Roadway
See CALENDAR
Page 2B
DESTINATION
August 3, 2022 H I A
Reporter Hj
Does Bolingbroke have a radon
problem? UGA says testing key
By Sloan Oliver
sloanoliver@earthlink.net
T wo years ago,
while pregnant
with twins,
Kacie began
having severe pain. She
went to the doctor who
found a large mass on
her ovary. She was
diagnosed with
ovarian cancer.
Shortly thereafter,
she underwent
surgery (successful) and chemo.
Today, thank God, her cancer is
in remission and the twins are
healthy. Now, here’s the rest of the
story.
Kacie and John Swain live on
Cory Dr., a short street in Boling
broke with perhaps 20 houses.
Turns out, about 10 Cory Drive
households have family members
who had cancer or died from can
cer - prostate, ovarian, lung, etc.
With such a high concentration of
cancers among a small number of
houses, the Swains had their well
water tested for radon.
The radon numbers seemed*
very high at 4,000 picocuries/liter,
but there is NO federal drinking
water standard for radon.
The Swains informed the leader
ship of Bolingbroke Community
Club who called a community
meeting to distribute information
about radon and dangers from it.
That meeting was held last month
at Bethany Baptist Church and
hosted by Derek Cooper of the
University of Georgia Extension
- Environmental and Health De
partment. He specializes in radon.
Cooper started the meeting
with a question: By show of hands,
who has a smoke detector in their
house? Every hand went up. Same
question about radon
detectors - and no
hands went up; that’s
because people
don’t understand
the risks of radon
gas.
The EPA claims
that radon is the
second leading
cause of
lung cancer
deaths
(smoking
is #1); that
an estimated 21,000
people diefrom lung
cancer** attributed to
radon, while each year,
about 2,650 people die
from house fires.
Wow, radon gas is
8 times deadlier than
house fires. I did not
know that, and no
body else does either.
The UGA Extension’s goal is that
everyone has the same level of
awareness about radon as they do
about home fires. **The American
Cancer Society estimates about
130,000 Americans will die of lung
cancer in 2022.
What is radon? Radon (Rn) is a
naturally occurring gas that results
from the decay of uranium. It is a
Class A carcinogen, as is tobacco
smoke. Without getting into the
chemistry; uranium (U) decays
into radium which decays into
Rn - a colorless, odorless, taste
less gas. It’s undetectable with our
senses.
Where does the uranium come
from that decays into radon? U is
found in low levels (2 to 4 parts
per million) in many different
types of rock, to include granite.
And granite is very prevalent in
Monroe County and areas north
Radon Levels in Georgia Counties*
Percentage of homes tested with levels 4.0 pC|/L and above
EH 36% and over
n 29% - 35%
I I 22% - 28%
□ 15% - 21%
□ 8% - 14%
I I 0% - 7%
□ Insufficient data
4.0 pCi/L is EPA's Radon Action level.
EPA recommends that you fix your homt
if your radon level is 4.0 pCi/L or above.
'testing data are from individuals who s
selected to test their homes for radon.
UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
EXTENSION
vyy.
Data reflects tests from 4 radon labs from
January 1990 to December 2020. Counties with
fewer than 15 radon tests are marked "insuffient
data".
Map shows radon levels are much higher above the fall line due to the underlying
rock. In Monroe County 1 9% of houses tested were aboue 4 picocurie/liter. The
high' picocurie level for air and water are completely different--4 is high for air;
there is no EPA definition for high picocuries in water.
of the fall line. Granite is why
we have two quarries in Monroe
County.
Uranium is very mildly radioac
tive. (The U used in weapons and
nuclear reactors is highly refined.)
When uranium decays, radon is
produced. It then rises through
fissures and cracks in the rock, to
the surface and quickly dissipates
in the wind or is trapped by build
ings (such as crawl spaces.)
Rn is much heavier than air.
It settles in low areas, especially
if unvented - think basements,
crawl spaces, 1st floors (if on a
slab), etc. Any building, regard
less of age or construction, can be
affected by radon. Rn decays into
radioactive particles. If trapped
in a building, Rn can be inhaled.
Then, as the Rn decays, it can
damage lung tissue and lead to
cancer, particularly if this occurs
over many years.
Should you be concerned about
radon? Yes and no. Let’s break it
down. Outdoor radon is zero risk
because it rapidly dissipates. The
problem is indoor air. However,
not every house or building with
underlying granite has radon risk.
The risk is extremely localized,
depending on the underlying
geology.
Your neighbor’s house might
have high radon but not you, only
30 yards away. Plus, if Rn is pres
ent, the more air-tight your home,
the more likely it is to concentrate.
Also, the EPA claims that of the
21,000 annual radon lung cancer
deaths; 18,000 deaths (86%) are
among smokers and former smok
ers - if you never smoked, you’re
much lower risk. Second hand
smoke adds to the Rn risk.
See BOLINGBROKE . Page 3B
To advertise your business,
call or text Donna Wilson at
478-718-8302, or e-mail him at
ads@mymcr.net.
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Qualifying Agent RL QA003330
License MC0003308
P.0. Box 525
Bolingbroke, GA 31004
(478) 256-5668
*
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994-2803
5877 Hwy. 41
Bolingbroke, GA
Owners:
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478.993.6096
BLSpropertysolutions@outlook.com
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Broker
478-731-3828
maconrealestate_bobbylee@yahoo.com
pa 478-474-7320 Wish
6241 Hwy. 41 S. Macon, GA 31210
Office 478-474-7320
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