An Examination of Radon Awareness Risk Communication in Reading, Pennsylvania

Zayon Febres ’25

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Cronin

What is the broader impact of your summer research? That is, why should the world care about your work?

Radon is a radioactive colorless, tasteless and odorless gas that in big concentrations can lead to lung cancer. As is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States and in the city of Reading indoor radon testing does not reach 10% average. What do people know about Radon and it dangers in the city of Reading? It found that Spanish speakers are less aware about radon and its consequences than English speakers, which is part is a huge concern because the city of Reading is predominantly Spanish speaker and Hispanic. To make matters worse the city does not provide any  help or resources regarding radon in English or Spanish. 

What has summer research taught you about yourself and the field that you researched and/or studied?

I would say that it taught me about interacting with multiple people and how to talk to people, in the sense that if people had an attitude, I should not  just leave. So it teaches me some good skills for working with people in the future. The most important part was about collecting data, making sure I was collecting the right data from the right people. 

What advice would you give to students considering a future research opportunity similar to the one you participated in?

I would say that they can do research and combine topics, there is no need to maintain an one-sided  research. You can always combine your fields of studies!