Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2018 Oct; 15(10): 2149.
Published online 2018 Sep 30. doi: 10.3390/ijerph15102149
PMCID: PMC6211050
PMID: 30274331
Radon in Schools: A Brief Review of State Laws and
Regulations in the United States
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Kelsey Gordon, Paul D. Terry,
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Xingxing Liu, Tiffany Harris, Don Vowell, Bud Yard, and Jiangang Chen
1,*
Author information Article notes Copyright and License information Disclaimer
Abstract
1. Introduction
Radon is a naturally occurring colorless and odorless gas. It was first discovered in
the form of 222 Rn in 1899, with two other isotopes of Radon ( 220 Rn and 219 Rn)
discovered subsequently [1]. In general, 219 Rn and 220 Rn are not significant public
health concerns in modern, well-maintained architectural structures [2] due to the
short half-life (3.96 and 55.6 seconds respectively). 222 Rn, in contrast, has a half-life
of 3.8 days, which allows it to travel some distance. 222 Rn can seep into building
through cracks in floors, construction joints, and/or around service pipes.
Henceforward, 222 Rn is referred to simply as ’’radon’’. There is no safe level of
radon in the living environment.
Health effects of radon, most notably lung cancer, have been investigated for
several decades. Initially, investigations focused on underground miners exposed to
high concentrations of radon in their occupational environment [3]. However, the
results of several surveys of radon concentrations in homes and other buildings in
the early 1980s suggested that radon also may be an important cause of lung cancer
in the general population [4]. Krewski and colleagues evaluated the risk associated
with prolonged residential radon exposure and risk of lung cancer using data
collected from seven large scale case-control studies (4081 cases and 5281 controls)
conducted in North America [5]. The estimated pooled odds ratio (OR) of lung
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