New Jersey residents who tested their homes for radon and found more than four
picocuries per liter were surveyed (and a subsample interviewed) about their knowledge,
emotions, attitudes, and intentions to take remedial action Respondents proved well
informed, but radon levels were not highly correlated with any of the response variables.
Overoptimism was more common than overreaction. The results suggest that active
guidance is needed to ensure appropriate responses to environmental hazards, like
radon, that require individual remediation. Simple information dissemination alone
seems inadequate.
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