I am planning on using an ecological study model to investigate the relationship between radon testing in schools and environmental justice. Using a three-pronged approach I will evaluate (1) if the number of tests differ depending upon whether a school serves an environmental justice community or another community (2) whether schools in environmental justice communities have elevated radon levels, and greater exposure, compared to schools in other communities; and (3) the policy and public health implications of these findings. This plan is preliminary and might be changed depending upon the availability of data to evaluate these aims.
Ultimately, I intend on presenting my findings widely at local, state and national scientific conferences, to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Departments of Environmental Protection and Department of Education, and in scientific and policy journals. My research has the potential to highlight policy gaps, especially gaps in testing and fixing radon problems, and bring forth equitable solutions across the state that will better protect the health of all Pennsylvanians. Because this study will be among the first of its kind, I am hopeful that it will serve as a catalyst for policy change and provide a framework for future initiatives.
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Radon Testing in Schools
and Environmental Justice
Brianne Martin
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg
School of Public Health
In the state of Pennsylvania, there are minimal policies protecting students, staff, and teachers in academic settings from the second leading cause of lung cancer. Indoor radon poses an invisible threat to schools due to its colorless, tasteless, and odorless characteristics. In a nationwide survey, it was estimated that nearly one in five schools have at least one room with radon levels above the action level of 4 picocuries per liter (pCi/L). Testing is the only way to know if radon is a problem. In Pennsylvania, some areas are very hard hit by environmental contamination and pollution. These environmental justice areas (any census tract where 20 percent or more individuals live at or below the poverty line and/or 30 percent or more of the population identifies as a non-white minority) often bare a disproportionate burden of chemical exposures. They are in need of personalized interventions, more meaningful resource allocation and mitigation solutions. It is important to find out whether radon testing and mitigation in these environmental justice areas are lagging behind other parts of the state.
32
2021