Protecting a Home From Silent Threat

Protecting a Home From Silent Threat
By Jay Romano
The New York Times
October 2, 2008

The purpose of the article is to warn people about how to keep their homes protected from radon gas during the winter. Because the cost of heating at home is expected to be so high this year, people are going to try and close up every crack to make sure no cold air comes in. But doing this is risky, because the more a person keeps the icy air out, the more they keep the harmful gas sealed in.

Radon is a harmful gas, because it can’t be seen, smelled, or tasted. It his hard to notice if the gas is trapped inside the house. Philip Jalbert, the radon team leader for the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, said “We estimated that about 20,000 people die from radon-induced lung cancer every year,” making it the country’s second-highest cause of lung cancer, besides smoking.

This is a hard news article, because it only includes facts, it is objective, it has to do with the real world, and has an impact on people who are worrying about keeping their homes warm. The article started with the lead as the first paragraph, followed by the back-up lead. Then the nut graf, which includes the “so-what statement” and the killer quote said by Philip Jalbert. The article ends with a suggestion that people can do to avoid the radon gas, but it can cost a lot money.