CR3 News Magazine 2020 VOL 4: September Radon, Schools & Home Study | Page 28

Martin et al. 3
Figure 1. Percentage of parents who correctly identified the
following facts about radon.
Human Subjects Approval Statement
This study was reviewed and received an exemption from the
local Committee on Human Research in Behavioral and
Social Sciences (IRB, CHRBSS B06-194). Under the exemption,
formal Institutional Review Board (IRB) Committee
review was not required, and the project was approved under
an instructor’s assurance. As such, no formal consent was
required for participation in the study. Parents and guardians
were informed that completion of the survey was voluntary
and anonymous prior to their decision to participate.
Results
Surveys were received from 25 school districts throughout
Vermont, one from the state of New York, and three from
undisclosed locations. Notably, 54% of surveys were distributed
within Chittenden County, the most populated region of
the state. A total of 171 surveys were received. Of these, 126
were complete and analyzed, whereas 45 were incomplete
and excluded from analysis. Of the parents and guardians
who completed the survey, 80% were female, 93% were
Caucasian, 83% had a college or graduate degree, and 77%
were between the ages of 31 and 50; 55% of participants
knew whether their own home had been tested for radon.
Survey results revealed that 85% of parents knew that
radon is a gas and 68% knew that radon comes from rock.
However, as depicted in Figure 1, only 51% knew that radon
affects the lungs and only 39% knew that radon can cause
cancer. In addition, only 8% of parents felt confident that
their children’s school had notified them regarding the
school’s radon testing status.
Regarding perceptions of radon in schools, we found that
82% of parents agreed that their children’s schools should be
tested for radon levels, whereas only 2% of parents disagreed
with testing for radon levels in schools. Furthermore, 91% of
parents believed that schools should take action to address
radon levels if they were found to be elevated. Regarding
legislation, 83% of Vermont parents were in support of a law
requiring testing and disclosure of results of radon levels in
schools, and 87% supported a law requiring schools to reduce
radon levels if they were elevated. These results are displayed
in Figure 2.
To determine whether knowledge about radon corresponded
with views about radon testing in schools, we stratified
the responses to knowledge questions (radon is a gas,
comes from rock, affects the lungs, and cancer is a risk of
long-term exposure) as zero to two correct responses or three
to four correct responses. Participants who correctly
answered at least three of four knowledge questions about
radon were significantly more likely to support testing
(p = .037) of elevated radon levels in Vermont schools.
Support for mitigating elevated levels did not reach statistical
significance. Support for legislation mandating testing
and mitigation similarly did not meet statistical significance,
Figure 2. Degree to which parents agree with the following statements regarding radon in schools.