Yuki Qian

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Helping with radon remediation in Pittsburgh

Yuki Qian, 17, lives in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, a region that, due to its geography and history with steel mills, has extremely high levels of radon, a colorless, odorless, radioactive gas that is responsible for 21,000 deaths a year in the United States. (The average home in Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania has double the safe level of radon.) Many of these deaths can easily be prevented if adequate awareness and mitigation measures are implemented.

Qian grew up in a family where home renovations for health were not always financially feasible, so has a keen understanding of how gaps in policy and resource distribution can impact public health. That is why she tries to address one fundamental question through her work: How can technology and already-found knowledge surpass socio-economic and political barriers to help those most in need.

In 2023, with support from Youth Climate Advocacy Committee at the Pittsburgh Phipps Conservatory, Qian founded RadONRadOFF, a project that distributes free radon test kits, information about low-cost remediation methods, and safety education to local communities, especially in lower-income and highly-impacted areas. The test kits are distributed through partnerships with state authorities, local radon mitigation companies, and YMCAs. Additionally, Qian is also working with state officials to pass radon mitigation policies that will help close this public health and environmental disparity gap.