A child enters kindergarten ready to learn, grow,
dream, and discover who they can become. Over
the next 12 years, school becomes a second home
— where students may spend thousands of hours
inside classrooms, libraries, cafeterias, gyms, and
other spaces.
But what if the air they breathe contains
elevated levels of radon?
Radon is invisible, odorless, tasteless, and
a known cause of lung cancer. If elevated
radon is present in a school and goes
undetected, a student could experience
repeated exposure year after year—from
kindergarten through graduation.
Radon exposure does not mean a child
will develop lung cancer. However, the
risk from radon increases with the
concentration and duration of exposure.
Radioactive particles produced by radon
can be inhaled into the lungs, where they
can damage lung cells. The consequences of
that exposure may not become apparent until
decades later.
Children cannot choose the air inside their schools.
Adults can choose to test it.
Every student deserves to learn in a healthy environment. Testing schools for radon—and reducing elevated levels when they are found—is a preventable action we can take today to
help protect the generation that will lead tomorrow.
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