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Councilor raises radon concerns, urges local testing and policy response
Summary
Councilor Bill told the Aspen City Council that new information shows elevated radon levels in Aspen buildings—sometimes above 10–15 pCi/L—and urged the city to increase education, testing and consider local policy responses.
Councilor Bill told the Aspen City Council on Sept. 30 that he had recently learned more about radon exposure in Aspen and voiced concern that levels regularly exceed federal remediation thresholds in occupied spaces beyond basements. He described readings on second floors regularly above 10–15 pCi/L (the federal action level commonly cited as 4 pCi/L) and said some new construction also showed concerning levels.
Bill urged the city to expand education and mitigation efforts and suggested local policy actions in addition to the city's existing free winter radon testing program. Mayor Richards noted the city has historically provided free radon test kits and banners to remind residents that winter testing yields more accurate results, and said staff (Pete and Tessa were named as staff contacts) are already engaged and will follow up on next steps.
Councilor Bill characterized radon as a public health emergency and asked the council to consider enhanced local policies and outreach. Councilors expressed appreciation for raising the issue and requested staff return with options for increased testing, mitigation education and whether changes to building permitting or disclosure practices are warranted. Staff did not propose immediate code changes in the meeting; council asked for further information and recommended public education be prioritized.
Next steps: staff to follow up with council on education and mitigation options and potential avenues for programmatic or regulatory response.
