Testing School Buildings for Radon
Jane Malone, AARST National Policy Director
August 2020
Radon is a naturally occurring colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that seeps into buildings from the surrounding soil. Radon can damage lung tissue and lead to lung cancer over the course of a lifetime.
Children breathe deeper, faster, and proportionately more air than adults. A case study by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry concluded that due to lung shape and size differences, children have higher estimated radiation doses than adults. Their lungs are developing faster, making them more sensitive to the indoor air quality. Children are among the most sensitive to radon gas.
Children and adolescents grow quickly, and their cells are more sensitive to radiation. Since effects of radiation take years to develop, individuals exposed to elevated levels of radon in their youth are more likely to develop radon-related illnesses later in life.
Schools are often more crowded than other indoor spaces – four times the population density of a typical office means less fresh air available. School staff could have long-term exposure.
EPA conducted a nationwide survey of radon levels in schools, and has estimated that nearly one in five U.S. schools have at least one ground contact room with short-term radon levels above 4 pCi/L.
To date, approximately 20% of the schools nationwide have done some testing. The only way to know whether an elevated level of radon is present in any room in a school is to test. It is recommended that all schools nationwide be tested for radon.
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