What is our responsibility to each other? Can we work together to ensure the air we breathe is safe? Brian Yang '25 asks you to consider these questions in his TEDx Talk: "A look at the impact of radon on health."

Yang's Talk, which he presented at a TEDxNorthampton Community College event in November, centers around the often unknown dangers of radon.

What began as curiosity as to why the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protections was studying indoor radon levels in the Lehigh Valley (and discovering that his home of Center Valley had some of the highest levels of radon ever recorded) has grown into a personal mission to deepen his understanding of the links between the known carcinogen, the unique geology of the Lehigh Valley, and what we can do to increase radon testing to protect the most vulnerable among us. 

He has presented his award-winning research to state representatives, and the The Morning Call featured his findings in a story earlier this year: "Many homes in the Lehigh Valley have high levels of radon. Here’s why you should care." 

Yang is also involved with Citizens for Radioactive Radon Reduction (CR3), a nonprofit "committed to strengthening communities by empowering young people, health care, schools, organizations, and legislators about the dangers of living and breathing high levels of radon gas and its lung cancer affects." 

Through his independent research and activism with groups like CR3, Women for a Healthy Environment, and the American Lung Association, Yang hopes to see increased public awareness and legislation as it relates to radon testing. He is hopeful that this spring, lawmakers will vote on Senate Bill 339, "An Act providing for testing for dangerous levels of radon and remediation measures in school buildings, residential buildings, residential homes and commercial buildings; and imposing penalties."