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Jim Kompanek
Introduction:
Radon is a leading cause of lung cancer-related deaths in the United States, killing more than 20,000 people each year (U.S. EPA 2006a). According to the U.S. EPA (2006b), radon is an "extremely toxic, colorless gas" which is linked to approximately 12 percent of all lung cancers reported in the United States each year. Numerous factors are linked to the risk of radon in one's residence but is primarily resulting from geologic formations and soil series beneath a structure. All geographic regions of the United States are susceptible to radon (Figure 1). All data presented are fictional and this project is intended for educational purposes only.
For the purpose of this project, the following maps were created with ESRI ArcMap 9.1:
Soil types and home test localities located within study area;
Major geologic formations and home test localities within study area;
Radon potential and home test localities within study area;
Radon potential and home test localities, as well six additional geocoded addresses (Try This!);
Radon potential and home test localities merged with six additional geocoded addresses (Try This!).
The following table is also provided:
Roads attribute table to determine correct Zip Code of Arbor Way.
Figure 1. EPA Map of Radon Zones by county, with Zone 1 indicating highest potential levels, and Zone 3 the lowest. Image Courtesy of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2006c). Used here for educational purposes only.
Soil Information:
Figure 2. Soil types and home test localities located within study area. Green star indicates location of 203 Saw Mill Road. Figure created using ESRI ArcMap 9.1. Please click on image for full size graphic.
The above Figure (2), represents the major soil types located within the study area. As previously mentioned, soil type is major determining factor of potential radon levels (see Introduction). Each color represents a distinct soil type, and each type is assigned an associated radon potential level. In this case, the radon potential (RD_Soil) ranges from between 1 and 4, depending on the potential for radon in each soil type.
Geologic Formations:
Figure 3. Major geologic formations and home test localities within study area. Green star indicates location of 203 Saw Mill Road. Figure created using ESRI ArcMap 9.1. Please click on image for full size graphic.
Figure 3 represents the major geologic formations within the study area. As with soil types (see Introduction and Soil Information), geologic formations are another determining factor of potential radon levels. Each color on the above figure represents an individual geologic formation. Each geologic formation was assigned a radon potential (RP_Geol) level, ranging between 1 and 4, depending on the associated potential for radon in each geologic formation.
Potential Radon Levels:
Figure 4. Radon potential and home test localities within study area. Green star indicates location of 203 Saw Mill Road. Figure created using ESRI ArcMap 9.1. Please click on image for full size graphic.
Figure 4 represents the potential radon levels within the study area, based on soil types and geologic formations. This was determined by conducting a union of the soil and geologic attribute tables and by determining the sum of the RP_Soil and RP_Geol attributes of each feature. The sum of the radon potential levels was calculated in a new field, RP_Total, which ranged between 2 and 8, with 8 containing the highest radon potential. An overlay of radon test localities is also provided and displays the geocoded location based upon street address of voluntary home radon tests.
In theory, it would be possible for the EPA to establish a hotline which uses the above model to warn people of potential radon levels at their address. In this scenario, if the EPA were to receive a call from the resident at "203 Saw Mill Road", the Find Command within ArcMap could be used to locate this address. This address is indicated by a green star on the above figures (2-4). With this information, the EPA should warn the Saw Mill Road resident that his or her residence has a high potential for the presence of radon.
Try This!:
An advantage of this GIS, is the ease of adding information to the database. The "Try This!" section of Lesson 4 (King 2006) provides an additional table of home test addresses. Unfortunately, the feature at "485 Arbor Way" within this table contained an incorrect Zip Code. To determine the correct Zip Code, the FName field of the Roads attribute table was sorted alphabetically and "Arbor Way" was identified (Table 1). Based on this, it was determined that the correct Zip Code was 15303.
After this was corrected, these addresses were geocoded as a new map layer, overlaid with the previous test localities and potential radon level thematic map (Figure 5). Green circles were used to represent the new address locations. These results were then Merged with the previous results (Figure 6).
Figure 5. Radon potential and home test localities within study area, as well six additional geocoded addresses (Try This!). Green star indicates location of 203 Saw Mill Road. Figure created using ESRI ArcMap 9.1. Please click on image for full size graphic.
Figure 6. Radon potential and home test localities merged with six additional geocoded addresses (Try This!). Green star indicates location of 203 Saw Mill Road. Figure created using ESRI ArcMap 9.1. Please click on image for full size graphic.
Table 1. Roads attribute table to determine correct Zip Code of Arbor Way. Please click on table for full size.
References Cited:
King, Beth