Zieber, Megan
(2024)
Radon Exposure Levels in Pennsylvania: An Investigation of the Effects of Social Determinants on Health Disparities.
Master Essay, University of Pittsburgh.
Abstract
Radon is a naturally occurring, radioactive gas that has the potential to lead to lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. Approximately 40 percent of homes in Pennsylvania have a radon level above the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s action guideline of four picocuries per liter (pCi/L). The dose-response relationship between radon and lung cancer risk is strongly established; however, much less is known about social determinants of health that increase the risk of high radon exposure. With thousands of radon-related lung cancer deaths in the United States each year, understanding mitigation and potential disparities is imperative. This study aimed to characterize radon levels and demographic and socioeconomic variables, as well as mitigation use, in Pennsylvania to examine how radon exposure is associated with individual and social characteristics (e.g., income and poverty level, education, and racial diversity). Understanding the relationship between radon exposure and social determinants carries public health significance because an individual’s environment and resources can influence their health outcomes. Three data sets were used for the study – two (radon and mitigation) from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and one (demographic and socioeconomic variables) from the United States Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. Within census tracts, median radon concentrations were positively associated with percent of individuals with a high school education or less and inversely associated with percent minority and percent living below poverty in a community. From 2010-2017, nearly 96 percent of 65,386 mitigation attempts were effective (≥4 pCi/L before mitigation and <4 pCi/L after mitigation). Sub-slab mitigation attempts were most often implemented in ZIP codes with six percent or less individuals living in poverty (low poverty), very low to low (<49.01%) percentage of individuals with a low education, and low to moderate percentages (3.01-23.0%) of minority population. ZIP codes with high poverty levels (>28%) and a high percentage of individuals with low education (>58.0%) performed the fewest sub-slab mitigation attempts. Collectively, these results highlighted a need for increased radon testing and mitigation intervention in communities with a high percentage of individuals with low education.
Share
| Citation/Export: |
|
| Social Networking: |
|
Details
| Item Type: |
Other Thesis, Dissertation, or Long Paper
(Master Essay)
|
| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
|
| Contributors: |
| Contribution | Contributors Name | Email | Pitt Username | ORCID  |
|---|
| Thesis advisor | Yuan, Jian-Min | yuanj@upmc.edu | UNSPECIFIED | UNSPECIFIED | | Committee Member | Diergaarde, Brenda | bbd3@pitt.edu | bbd3 | UNSPECIFIED | | Committee Member | Demanelis, Kathryn | demanelisk@upmc.edu | UNSPECIFIED | UNSPECIFIED | | Committee Member | Carlson, Jenna | jnc35@pitt.edu | jnc35 | UNSPECIFIED |
|
| Date: |
17 May 2024 |
| Date Type: |
Completion |
| Submission Date: |
23 August 2022 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Number of Pages: |
68 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
School of Public Health > Public Health Genetics |
| Degree: |
MPH - Master of Public Health |
| Thesis Type: |
Master Essay |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
radon, exposure, social determinants, health disparities, lung cancer, mitigation, public health |
| Date Deposited: |
17 May 2024 18:19 |
| Last Modified: |
17 May 2024 18:19 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/43657 |
Metrics
Monthly Views for the past 3 years
Plum Analytics
Actions (login required)
 |
View Item |
![[img]](https://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/style/images/fileicons/application_pdf.png)
![[feed]](/images/feed-icon-32x32.png){kind=icon}