Radon seeps into basements through cracks in walls , foundations and other openings . Pennsylvania has the third‐highest level of radon in the country and children are particularly vulnerable , the investigation found .
State Rep . Tim Briggs , D‐Mongtomery County , has led those previous efforts to mandate testing and is trying again , calling the legislation a top priority for him .
“ For teachers and students who spend seven , eight , nine hours a day in a school building that could be causing them harm should concern us all ,” he said .
Related :
• Pennsylvania schools don ’ t test for radon , despite high levels in the state
• What ’ s the holdup ? Some say radon legislation in Pa . comes down to politics ; others say it ’ s the money
• Radon risks : For children , the concern over the odorless gas outweigh that for adults
His proposed legislation would mandate testing in schools every five years . If radon levels exceed what the federal government has deemed safe then there should be mitigation , he said .
“ We have a surplus that we could tap into and we also have federal dollars that are specifically for children ’ s health in schools ,” he said .
State Sen . Devlin Robinson , R‐Bridgeville , said he plans to work with his colleagues to gather support for the measure .
“ It ’ s time Pennsylvania does something to protect our children and require this important testing like roughly one‐third of other states already do ,” he said .
Advocates in Harrisburg Monday said testing isn ’ t expensive and could prevent high health care costs for school staff and students . For children , the risk of developing radon‐induced cancer later in life is twice as high as adults with the same exposure because youngsters ’ quickly changing bodies and rapid breathing rates translate into larger doses of radiation , according to research .
Naccarati‐Chapkis said advocates are excited to have support across party lines in both the House and Senate .
“ We simply cannot wait for the safety of our children and school staff who spend well over 1,000 hours a year … in our schools ,” she said .
Renatta Signorini is a Tribune‐Review staff writer . You can contact Renatta by email at rsignorini @ triblive . com or via Twitter .
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