HomeMy WebLinkAboutAir Quality Advisory Board - Minutes - 07/22/1996MINUTES
CITY OF FORT COLLINS
AIR QUALITY ADVISORY BOARD
SPECIAL MEETING
MAIN CONFERENCE ROOM - 405 CANYON
22 JULY 1996
Board Members Present
John Fooks, Susan Bilo, Harry Edwards, Dave Gallup, Eric Levine, John Scanlon, Raymond
Sons, Nancy York
Board Members Absent
Pete Perkins
Staff Present
Natural Resources Department: Tom Shoemaker, Brian Woodruff, Linda Devocelle, Susan
Caplan (recorder)
Guests
None
Old Business
1. Radon
An objective of the Air Quality Policy Plan is to increase actions taken to improve indoor air
quality. The ultimate goal of the radon committee is to test all homes in Fort Collins. The point -
of -sale ordinance would be a start toward this goal. Linda presented staff findings &
recommendations concerning radon.
We know that radon represents a long-term risk of developing lung cancer. Mortality from radon
exposure is expected to be from 7,000 to 30,000 annually, with 143,000 lung cancer deaths
(from all causes, but mostly from tobacco smoke). EPA has classified Fort Collins as a zone I
area, since three quarters of homes have radon concentrations greater than 4 picocuries, the level
above which mitigation should be considered.
Testing is the only way to determine radon concentration in a home. The standard 48 hour test is
representative of annual concentrations. Testing during construction of a new home may be
inaccurate, due to the difficulty of controlling the test environment. The advantage of testing
after the buyer moves in is: the homeowner has the responsibility for maintaining the proper test
environment, so that the test would be more accurate; the disadvantages include: the intensive
follow-up required, the greater difficulty of testing the occupied home, and the enforcement
effort required.
Mitigation measures include installation of a vent pipe from beneath the foundation and through
the roof (with or without an exhaust fan), sealing of foundation cracks, and lining the basement
or crawl space with plastic. Costs of installation in new construction range from $400 to $800
(without an exhaust fan), while installation costs in existing homes can be double. There are no
construction standards or quality control for radon mitigation in Fort Collins. Although the EPA
maintains a list of radon contractors (3 or 4 listed contractors are in Fort Collins), there is no
certification program currently available. Most contractors in Fort Collins have done a good job,
but there have been problems in Larimer County with poorly installed systems. Home inspectors
often perform radon tests, but it is not clear what training they have.
The problems with requiring radon testing during construction include: the occurrence of invalid
tests, lack of quality control, the potential of invalid tests to mislead, and the difficulty in
controlling the test environment in the unoccupied home. The problems with the installation
ordinance include: the lack of construction standards, the small number of qualified mitigators,
the lack of support from the building community, and the lack of adequate information.
Linda presented the staff recommendations. The first was the adoption of an ordinance requiring
that radon information be provided to buyers at point -of -sale for new and existing homes. Eric
Levine raised a point of order to defer the next agenda item, CO augmentation, to a later meeting.
Chairman John Fooks deferred action on the point of order until the Board completed the radon
item.
The second staff recommendation was the adoption of radon -resistant construction standards into
the building code. Work to design the construction standards will begin this September.
The third recommendation was the adoption of an ordinance requiring the installation of full
passive systems in all new construction. Ordinance development would begin during the mid-
1997 building code review and will be presented to City Council in 1998.
Staff further notes that testing of all homes, new and existing, remains the overall goal of the
radon program. The promotion of testing of existing homes would be through education and
outreach. There will be a major campaign this fall, with brochures and test kits. Raymond Sons
suggested that the point -of -sale test be required withing 60 days of occupancy, with an escrow
account provided by the seller set aside for mitigation as needed. He suggested mitigation occur
if the measured level were greater than 4 picocuries, and that the sale contract be voided if the
level were over some specified value.
Harry noted the staff recommendations presented at this meeting contained 2 new items (the goal
of testing all homes, and the statement that the radon program is the City's first indoor air quality
program). Linda explained that the items were not additional recommendations, but explanatory
material supporting the 3 main recommendations.
Eric asked to make a motion, but John preferred to continue the discussion.
Dave stated that the first recommendation was too weak. He proposed that installation of
roughed -in or full passive systems be required for all new construction. He also proposed that
the seller provide testing at the sale of an existing home. He cautioned that the City should not
request information (i.e., test results) it does not intend to disclose to the public.
Nancy advised that renters and basement dwellers should be provided with radon information,
and that the City should provide free test canisters. She suggested that test information could be
provided by block, thus avoiding disclosure of privileged information. She supported the
adoption of an ordinance requiring installation of passive systems in all new construction. She
agreed with Dave that the seller should provide test results to the buyer of existing homes.
Eric supported requiring testing of new homes as a way to drive the installation of passive
systems in new construction. He informed the Board that an estimated 14 - 45 deaths from radon
occur in Fort Collins annually. Eric felt that staff did a good job outlining the problems with
enacting a testing ordinance, although more needs to be done to overcome those problems.
Harry asked if he could present a motion. John asked Eric if he would now make his earlier
motion. Eric deferred to Harry.
Harry moved that the Board forward the following statement to City Council: The AQAB
recognizes that radon is an important community issue, and urges the prompt adoption of a
strong and effective radon program. There was no second.
Eric then presented an alternative motion.
Eric moved that:
-the Board re -propose the original radon motion from last year: test all new
construction at point -of -sale and provide the buyer with the test results;
-the City try to solve the problems outlined by the radon committee, i.e., investigate other
States that have enacted radon testing ordinances (Florida, New Jersey, Washington);
-the Board propose that testing be required within 60 days of occupancy, funded by the seller's
escrow account, if the testing problems cannot be overcome;
John called for discussion of the motion. Nancy questioned why the motion was so weak. Eric
replied that he had hoped a less stringent ordinance would have a better chance of adoption.
Harry requested staff's response to the Board's concerns. Brian responded that (1) new homes
were singled out to save costs, (2) both test results and a letter from the City would be hard to
ignore, (3) both options would help educate others, (4) staff does not wish to archive individual
test results, and either option would allow follow-up tracking, and (5) enforcement would be
more difficult than with either pre -sale test or provision of information.
John amended the motion:
-both new and existing homes would be required to test at point -of -sale, and
-buyers and sellers would not be required to report test results to the City
Susan seconded the amendments to the motion.
Ray still preferred a stronger installation ordinance. Brian responded that the Board could
propose that the construction standards and then the installation ordinance be adopted, or that the
installation ordinance be adopted to be effective when the construction standards were adopted.
Nancy amended the motion:
-the Board propose that the installation ordinance be adopted to be effective at such time as
the construction standards are adopted;
-education be considered a high priority, especially for renters and basement dwellers;
the City provide free test canisters
Ray seconded the motion. The motion passed 6-0-2. -
The CO augmentation item was not addressed.
The meeting adjourned at 6:00 PM