“We are taking this matter seriously,” he said. “We are also committed to being fully transparent regarding both the results and the mitigation measures, if any, required as a result of the testing.”
A home in Upper Saucon Township within the Southern Lehigh district set the state record for radon in 2016 with 6,176 picocuries per liter.
Bethlehem Area School Board President Michael Faccinetto asked the district facilities director to investigate further.
Northampton Area School District Superintendent Joseph Kovalchik said schools have been tested for radon in the past and some radon systems are built into them. He said the district has a 20-year partnership with an air-quality consultant.
“They can assist us with this concern,” he said.
Northwestern Lehigh Superintendent Jennifer Holman said her district tests for radon in schools every three years.
“We performed sampling as recently as June 2022 and all classrooms measured during the test were all below the PA DEP screening guidelines,” she said.
The Allentown School District tested for radon in 2017, according to spokeswoman Melissa Reese.
“Six schools had areas ... where radon concentrations measured near or slightly above the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection guidelines; however, none of the levels posed an immediate health risk, per our licensed environmental professionals,” she said.
Reese said the school district started another round of radon tests on Tuesday. Those tests are slated to wrap up Feb. 7. The district plans to keep testing every two years, Reese said.
JAMA Network Open is a member of the Journal of the American Medical Association network of peer-reviewed, general medical and specialty publications, Tarini said.
You can read the study on the JAMA Network Open website.
“Radon is a carcinogen and the second leading cause of lung cancer,” Tarini told lehighvalleylive.com. “Therefore, exposure to radon above recommended levels should be mitigated. The exposure level is best determined by radon testing.”
Andrejko and the participants in the study are lobbying state legislators to mandate radon testing in schools.
“It’s a known carcinogen. Please protect our children because they spend a good amount of their lives at school,” Andrejko said.
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Rudy Miller may be reached at [email protected].