Measuring radon in residential properties How can you talk about radon risks?
Lesson 11: How can you talk with your clients about radon risks?
Lesson overview
This lesson introduces principles of risk communication as applied to radon. It explores effective ways to provide information about radon risks to clients to encourage testing and mitigation where necessary.
Lesson objectives
By the end of this lesson, the learners will be able to:
· Describe three barriers to communication about radon
· List three reasons why many people are apathetic about radon
· Identify the best time to talk with clients about radon risk
· Describe two key radon messages for clients
Show slide 11-0.
In this lesson, we are going to talk about how you can most effectively talk with your clients about radon risk.
Show slide 11-1.
Introduce the lesson.
As an environmental health issue, radon is unusual.
· Unlike many other toxic chemicals in the environment, radon is a naturally occurring substance, not one made by human activity. There is no villain—no irresponsible government or corporation—to blame for the presence of radon in homes.
· Radon is not readily controlled by regulation. The solution to radon problems in an individual home depends on individual action.
As a result, it’s important that the individuals making decisions have good information: about radon, its risk, and ways to reduce it when necessary.
Show slide 11-2.
Explain.
There are, however, a number of barriers to communication about radon:
· Clients may have important misconceptions about radon.
· Clients may have very little interest in radon.
· Clients may be afraid of the consequences of finding high levels of radon in their homes.
These barriers can make it difficult for you to talk with your clients about radon.
Click to animate the slide.
· To deal with misconceptions, you can provide accurate information about radon.
· To deal with apathy, you can explain radon risk.
· To deal with fear, you can explain testing and mitigation.
Show slide 11-3.
Some of the common misconceptions about radon that you may need to correct are:
· Radon risk is small
· Radon is not a problem in my area
· Radon risk can be determined by geography or home construction, not testing
· Radon testing is difficult and expensive
· Radon mitigation is difficult and expensive
· Radon gas, like many other gases, is lighter than air and will rise to top of home, so the greatest concentration in upper floors
· High radon levels require removing “contaminated” furnishings
Ask.
Have you heard other misconceptions about radon from your clients?
Show slide 11-4.
Given that radon is a real and serious risk, why do you think people are apathetic about this problem?
There seem to be several reasons:
· We’ve said that radon has no smell, taste, or color, so people cannot sense its presence. They can live and work and sleep in a room with a high concentration of radon yet never know that the gas and its decay products are present.
Click to animate slide.
· We’ve also said that the health problems caused by radon—lung cancer and, to a lesser extent, stomach cancer—take years to develop. Since people do not get sick right away, they often do not believe that radon causes a problem.
· Another factor includes various attitudes toward health risks.
o Some people are skeptics: they do not believe that the radon risk is real.
§ They may believe that either the media or government officials have constructed an artificial fuss about radon.
§ They may not know or believe that scientists and public health officials agree that radon represents a real health risk.
o Other people are fatalists: they believe that they cannot avoid the risk of radon, that they will develop cancer (or not) regardless of any action they take about radon
Show slide 11-5.
Some people are apathetic about radon because they are worried about many other things, which comprise their “worry budget.” Radon is one of many concerns, and it is often not the most important one.
Show slide 11-6. Click to show questions one at a time.
Ask learners and allow them to discuss.
· Where is radon in your worry budget?
· Has its position changed since we began this training?
· What might you say to a client who says she has more important things than radon to worry about?
Click to animate the slide.
Suggested answer:
· If testing shows that your radon level is under 4 pCi/L, you might be able to cross radon off your worry budget without taking further action at this time. Remember that you may need to test in the future, especially if you make structural changes to your home.
· If testing shows that your radon level is 4 pCi/L or more, you might be able to cross radon off your worry budget by mitigating.
Show slide 11-7.
Because apathy is a major concern in solving the radon problem, one of the major challenges is to alert the apathetic.
Robert Nulman was the mayor of Clinton, NJ, a town that was found to have alarmingly high radon levels in the 1980s. His comment is concise:
“If people don’t get their houses check, they should get their heads checked.”
At the same time, there is no need for people to panic, even if their homes have high radon levels.
Show slide 11-8.
Radon does often create fear. Perhaps surprisingly, the fears associated with radon are often not fears of lung or stomach cancer, but fears associated with property or financial concerns.
Some people are afraid that testing and mitigation will require dealing with dishonest contractors, who might
· Perform unnecessary repairs
· Overcharge
· Perform ineffective mitigation
Of course, it’s always possible to find dishonest contractors. But you can remind your clients that it’s also possible to find honest, fair, and reliable contractors.
Some people are also afraid that testing and mitigation might reduce the home’s value, leading to
· Difficulty selling the home
· Lower sale price
· Longer time to closing
In fact, homes generally do not lose value as a result of radon testing. Nor are they more difficult to sell, sell for a reduced price, or take longer to close.
A house with an effective mitigation system may in fact be attractive to some buyers.
Show slide 11-9.
People are more likely to act on radon risk when they believe
· The risk is a serious threat
· Reasonable ways to reduce the risk are within their reach.
You can help your clients understand both of these ideas.
Show slide 11-10.
Although we’ve identified some barriers that hinder communication about radon, there are some factors that help people act on radon risk.
· Your clients may be very concerned about the health of their families. Parents, prospective parents, and grandparents are often especially concerned about children’s health.
o Many people are particularly concerned about exposure to radiation.
o Lung cancer is widely known to be a very painful and dangerous disease.
· Unlike smoking, which some people enjoy, breathing radon carries no benefit at all, so it’s not difficult for people to give it up.
· In addition, as a home inspector, you are usually a trusted, credible source of information. Your influence can encourage clients to test and to mitigate, if necessary.
· In many cases, you will be working with clients who are buying or selling a home. People seem to be most open to radon information at this time, as they are focused on the condition of the home.
o Sellers want to make the home attractive to potential buyers.
o Buyers want to make a new home safe and secure for their families. They are often considering other changes to make the home suitable, so testing and mitigating may seem less challenging.
· Finally, testing and mitigation are relatively easy and inexpensive.
Show slide 11-11.
Ask learners.
Consider the goals of your communication with clients about radon. What do you want to accomplish?
Click to animate and show possible answers.
§ Inform client about radon risk
§ If necessary, persuade client to test for radon
§ Inform client of results
§ Explain what results mean
§ Inform client of mitigation options
§ If necessary, persuade client to mitigate
Show slide 11-12.
Distribute handout 11-1.
Explain.
Some suggestions for communicating with your clients about radon:
· Ask questions to find out what people know, think, or want to do
o Don’t assume you know before you have asked
· Explain the seriousness of health risk
o Experts—such as the Environmental Protection Agency, the American Lung Association, the Connecticut Department of Public Health, and the American Medical Association—agree on the risk of radon and the solutions
o Put risk in perspective
· Address concerns besides health
o Costs
o Property values
· Use plain language
o Don’t use highly technical terms unless your client is an engineer or a scientist
o Give only as much information as the client needs and wants. Don’t deliver a technical monograph unless the client asks for lots of details.
· When possible, tell personal stories about people you know who have tested and mitigated successful. Especially for nontechnical clients, a personal story may be more persuasive than a long, technical explanation. For example, you might describe an individual’s attempts to understand and cope with a similar radon problem.
o Stories hold people’s interest: they want to know how the story ends
o Stories help people see themselves in a situation, such as handling a radon problem successfully
Show slide 11-13.
Explain.
Earlier, I mentioned Robert Nulman, mayor of a town where high radon levels were found. Nulman used his own personal story to talk with other town residents about testing and mitigating radon.
Show slide 11-14.
Ask learners.
What points do you think you might emphasize about testing to a reluctant client?
Allow learners to discuss as a whole class, in small groups, or in pairs. If possible, write their answers on a chalkboard or white board.
Show slide 11-15, with suggested answers:
· Testing costs are small
· Testing does not usually affect the number of offers and counteroffers in home sale, the time to close home sale, and the final negotiated price
· Test results may provide reassurance that radon is not a problem. So client can take radon off the worry schedule
Show slide 11-16.
Ask learners.
What points do you think you might emphasize about mitigation to a concerned client?
As above, allow learners to discuss as a whole class, in small groups, or in pairs. If possible, write their answers on a chalkboard or white board.
Show slide 11-17, with suggested answers.
Show slide 11-18.
Throughout this course, we’ve mentioned a number of EPA documents that you might use.
Show slides 11-19, 20, and 21.
Explain.
Among them are the
· A Citizen’s Guide to Radon
· Home Buyer’s and Seller’s Guide to Radon
· Consumer’s Guide to Radon Reduction
There is also a short video entitled Breathing Easy: What Home Buyers and Sellers Should Know About Radon.
Distribute handout 11-2.
If possible, distribute copies of all of these documents.
These documents are available from the EPA and can be downloaded from the EPA website. You may find it helpful to give them to your clients or suggest that your clients download them or request paper copies from EPA.
Show slide 11-22.
Explain.
If your clients do not understand English well, communicating with them about radon may be even more challenging.
Some EPA documents are available in Spanish.
Show slide 11-23.
Introduce the role-play activity.
Ask the learners to work in pairs or small groups.
I’d like to ask you to do a short role-play activity.
In each pair or group, one volunteer should play the role of a client who is reluctant either to test for radon or to mitigate high radon levels.
Another volunteer should play the role of a home inspector who is trying to persuade the client to test or mitigate.
Practice using the suggestions made in this lesson, as well as any other ideas you might have.
Debrief the activity.
Click to animate the debrief questions.
Would one person from each pair or group please describe the experience?
What was easy?
What was difficult?
What would you probably do in real life?
Show slide 11-24.
Summarize the lesson.
Some of the barriers to communicating about radon include
· Misconceptions
· Apathy
· Fear
You can try to overcome these barriers by
· Providing accurate information
· Alerting the apathetic
· Reassuring the alarmed
People are more likely to act on radon risk when they believe that
· The risk is a serious threat
· Reasonable ways to reduce risk are within their reach
Show slide 11-25.
Ask learners.
Do you remember the factors that encourage people to act on radon risk?
Click to show suggested answers:
· Concern for family health, especially children’s health
· Absence of benefits to radon
· Home inspector is credible source of information
· People are most open to radon information when buying a home
· Testing and mitigation are relatively easy and inexpensive.
Show slide 11-26.
Ask learners.
Which communication methods do you remember?
Click to show suggested answers:
· Ask questions to learn what people know, think, or want to do
· Explain seriousness of risk
· Address cost and property value concerns
· Use plain language
· Personalize the information
Show slide 11-27.
Ask learners.
Now let’s review the various points you might emphasize when you talk to clients about radon.
Click to animate.
What points about testing might you emphasize?
Click to show suggested answers:
· Testing costs are small
· Testing does not usually have a bad effect on a home sale
· Test results may reassure that radon is not a problem