According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
a nationwide survey of radon levels in schools estimates that nearly one in five has at least one classroom with radon exposure above the 4.0 picocuries per liter of air (pCi/L) --the EPA action level in the United States. The Southwestern Pennsylvania Environmental Health Project indicates that 69% of the schools have not been tested and 28% of those tested report radon levels above 4.0 pCi/L.
(2019) According to the National Center for Education, it was projected that around 50.7 million students would
be enrolled in U.S. public schools for the 2018-2019 school year.
Because radon does not have an odor or taste, there is no way to detect its presence in a building without testing for the gas. The testing process is relatively easy and inexpensive, and the EPA recommends that all schools across the country conduct radon testing to keep the environments safe for the children and staff that spend their days in the buildings.
TEST OUR SCHOOLS!
Because of the danger and risks involved with radon, there should be requirements that all schools be tested for this gas. It is recommended that property owners selling a home disclose any known radon levels and residential building codes require some new homes to
be built with some radon resistant features. While the
EPA recommends that public school districts test buildings for radon every five years, there are very few federal or state laws requiring schools to conduct tests
at all.
Colorado
Connecticut
Florida
New Jersey
West Virginia
Rhode Island
The protocol for testing includes the following steps:
• Initial, short-term testing to determine
current radon levels within each classroom
in the school
• Follow-up short and long-term testing in
classrooms where levels were unusually high
to monitor improvements and annual
averages of radon levels in those areas
• Action to reduce radon levels in areas where
readings were higher than 4 pCi/L
Schools with state policies
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