AARST International Radon Symposium 2019 - Denver. Colorado

Radon Community Gathers in Denver for Annual Symposium

Last week the 33 Annual 2019 International Radon Symposium and Trade Show was hosted by the American Association of Radon Scientists and Technicians (AARST) in downtown Denver, CO. Members of the Radonova team from both sides of the pond were in attendance, exhibiting in the sold-out vendor hall. The symposium is the largest of its kind and is attended by hundreds of radon professionals including scientists, regulators and companies from across the United States, as well as participants from Canada, Europe, and Asia.

There were over 70 guest speakers including the keynote speech from Dr. Jonathan Samet, M.D., M.S. Dean and Professor of the Colorado School of Public Health, who provided an insightful look back at the history of radon and its role in our environment and workplaces. During the talk Dr Samet highlighted the many controversies which have occurred across radon’s history, some of which are now resolved as the scientific foundation for radon control becomes more certain. The presentation ended with a look forward to the future of controlling radon’s risks. Another presentation of note was delivered by featured speaker Sara Jensen from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), who provided an update on its radon policies for multifamily financing.

Naturally, the tradition of the AARST social “Night-Out” continued on, with attendees joining for a fun evening of food and drink, networking, and sport at the Wynkoop Brewery, Denver’s original craft brewery which was founded in 1988. During the evening conference goers challenged each other to games of pool, foosball, and shuffleboard.

Denver was a fantastic location, the symposium was well organized, and we left the 33^rd annual meeting feeling motivated and energized to meet the challenges ahead of us, which is to provide as many quality measurement results as possible, and empower people to take action to minimize unnecessary exposure to the harmful effects of this known carcinogen, radon gas.

Let’s hope by the time we attend the 2020 Symposium more technological and legislative advances have been made to combat the issue of radon exposure.