Bill would require radon resistant construction

The Health and Human Services Committee heard a bill Jan. 23 that would require all new homes in Nebraska to include radon resistant construction.

As introduced, LB13, sponsored by Omaha Sen. Bob Krist, would apply to all new residential housing beginning Jan. 1, 2014.

Krist said the measure would protect families from radon, a radioactive element found in uranium in the soil. Nebraska has the third highest radon emission rate in the United States, he said, and radon exposure is the number one cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers.

Under the bill, the state Department of Health and Human Services would be responsible for coordination, oversight and implementation of measures to mitigate the risks of radon in residential dwellings.

The bill also would create a Radon-Resistant Building Codes Task Force that would include homebuilders, home inspectors, realtors and medical professionals, among others. The task force would terminate Jan. 1, 2015.

Krist said the bill’s operative date likely would be amended to allow for input from the task force.

Curtis Drew, owner of National Radon Defense, testified in support of the bill. While many existing Nebraska homes have been mitigated for radon since the early 1980s, he said, new homes built during that same time period remain vulnerable to radon emissions.

“This is the only way that we can catch up with the problem,” Drew said.

Justin Brady, representing a coalition of Lincoln and Omaha metropolitan area homebuilders, testified in a neutral capacity.

Brady said placing a passive radon mitigation system in a home during construction – which could be activated if excessive radon emissions are detected at a later date – likely would add between $200 and $800 to construction costs.

No one testified in opposition to LB13 and the committee took no immediate action on the bill.