Abstract
Radon is a naturally occurring, colorless, odorless, and tasteless radioactive gas. Without testing, its presence is unknown. Using nationally representative data from the 2012 School Health Policies and Practices Study, we examined whether the prevalence of school district policies for radon testing and for radon-resistant new construction practices varied by district location in relation to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Map of Radon Zones. Among school districts located in counties with high predicted average indoor radon, 42.4% had policies for radon testing and 37.5% had policies for radon-resistant new construction practices. These findings suggest a critical need for improved awareness among policy makers regarding potential radon exposure for both students and school staff.
Highlights
Radon gas is the result of the natural decay of uranium found in the Earth’s underlying bedrock [1,2,3]
Overall 37.0% of districts adopted a policy requiring schools test for radon and 33.4% adopted a policy addressing the use of radon-resistant new construction practices for new school campuses or renovations
There is a statistically significant difference in the percentage of districts with a policy requiring schools be tested for radon across Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) radon zones (χ2 = 3.9, p = 0.02): highest among those in Zone 1 (42.4%) and lowest among districts in Zone 3 (27.8%)
Summary
Radon gas is the result of the natural decay of uranium found in the Earth’s underlying bedrock [1,2,3]. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) radon is,. Testing is the only way to know of radon’s presence because it is colorless, odorless, and tasteless. 2–90 days, and long-term, greater than 90 days, tests are available. The short-term tests are simple and relatively inexpensive and guidance for testing is freely available from the EPA [4]. Mandated by Congress via the Indoor Radon Abatement Act of 1988, EPA was charged with the responsibility of identifying areas of the United States with potentially elevated indoor radon levels [5]
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