The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that numerous lung cancer deaths result every year due to radon exposure. Given this, radon education has become an important issue. The purpose of this research was to examine what action consumers had taken to respond to radon as a hazard following an education testing program and why they had taken that action.

In the Fall of 1992, the Virginia citizens Consumer Council, in partnership with Virginia Cooperative Extension, conducted a radon education campaign to promote and sell radon test kits. This study is based on a follow-up telephone survey in which 100 Virginia consumers whose homes tested with high radon levels were asked what action they had taken to reduce their radon exposure.

Using a proportional allocation, a sample was drawn from eight Virginia counties. statistical analysis included the use of cross tabulation tables and testing for association through the use of the gamma function. Statistically significant findings included: 1) objective risk does have an impact of hazard response; and 2) a correlation was found between how worried consumers were about their radon problem and their response to the hazard.