Radon in Schools

On this page:

• Radon Could Be a Serious Threat to Your School
• Radon Gas Decays into Radioactive Particles that Can Get Trapped in Your Lungs when You Breathe
• Testing and Mitigation Standards for Schools
• Technical Webinars

Radon Could Be a Serious Threat to Your School

Chances are you've already heard of radon - a radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer.

But what you might not have heard is that high levels have been found in a number of schools across the country. Therefore, it is important that students, teachers and parents be aware that a potential problem could exist in their school.

A nationwide survey of radon levels in schools estimates that nearly one in five has at least one schoolroom with a short-term radon level above the action level of 4 pCi/L (picoCuries per liter)(150 bequerels per meter cubed (Bq/m³)) - the level at which EPA recommends that schools take action to reduce the level. EPA estimates that more than 70,000 schoolrooms in use today have high short-term radon levels.

The only way to determine if a problem exists is to test for it. Having your school tested for radon is something you may want to discuss with your school officials. Because as real as the threat of radon is, the good news is that the problem can be solved.

The EPA ranks indoor radon among the most serious environmental health problems facing us today. After smoking, it is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States causing an estimated twenty one thousand (21,000) lung cancer deaths a year.

Radon is a naturally occurring gas that seeps into buildings from the surrounding soil. In some cases, well water may be a source of radon.

You can't see, taste, or smell radon. In fact, the only way to discover if high levels of radon are present is through testing.

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Radon gas decays into radioactive particles that can get trapped in your lungs when you breathe.

As these particles break down, they release small bursts of energy. This can damage lung tissue and lead to lung cancer over the course of your lifetime. An individual's risk of getting lung cancer from radon depends mostly on three factors: the level of radon, the duration of exposure and their smoking habits.

The EPA recommends that all schools nationwide be tested for radon. To date, approximately 20% of the schools nationwide have done some testing. Some states have tested all their public schools.

How are schools tested for radon?

Testing for radon is simple and relatively inexpensive. The EPA has published guidance that is available free to schools throughout the country.

• Call your State Radon Office for more information.

The basic elements of testing are:

• Test all frequently used rooms on and below the ground level;
• Conduct tests in the cooler months of the year; and,
• Follow the testing strategy below.

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Testing and Mitigation Standards for Schools

Copies of the following Radon Standards of Practice may be viewed, purchased or printed from the Indoor Environments Association^TM (AARST) webpage.

Protocol for Conducting Measurements of Radon and Radon Decay Products in Multifamily, School, Commercial and Mixed-Use Buildings (ANSI/AARST MA-MFLB-2023)

This standard of practice specifies procedures and minimum requirements when measuring radon concentrations in shared structures, or portions of shared structures used for residential, non-residential or mixed-use purposes to determine if radon mitigation is necessary to protect current and future occupants.

MA-MFLB consolidates ANSI/AARST MAMF (rev. 1/21) and ANSI/AARST MALB (rev. 1/21) into a single publication.

** While recommended for immediate use, the effective date for compliance with this standard is December 1st, 2023.

Prior Version: MALB-2014-0121/ MAMF-2017-0121

Soil Gas Mitigation Standards for Existing Multifamily, School, Commercial and Mixed-Use Buildings (ANSI/AARST SGM-MFLB-2023)

This standard of practice specifies minimum requirements for methods that mitigate risks to occupants posed by the presence of radon gas and chemical vapors or gas in existing multifamily, school, commercial and mixed-use buildings.

SGM-MFLB consolidates radon mitigation standard published as ANSI/AARST RMS-MF (rev. 12/20) and ANSI/AARST RMS-LB (rev. 12/20) into a single publication and is now harmonized for interactive use with ANSI/AARST SGM-SF (Soil Gas Mitigation in Existing Homes). SGM-MFLB provides only:

• content that is in addition to requirements already rendered in SGM-SF
• content not normally associated with mitigation of homes.

** While recommended for immediate use, the effective date for compliance with this standard is December 1st, 2023.

Prior Version: RMS-LB-2018-1220 /  RMS-MF-2018-1220

Soil Gas Control Systems in New Construction of Multifamily, School, Commercial and Mixed-Use Buildings – Rev. 5/23 (ANSI/AARST CC-1000-2018-0523)

The provisions in this standard provide prescriptive minimum requirements for the construction of any building intended for human occupancy, except for 1 and 2 family dwellings, in order to reduce occupant exposure to radon and other hazardous soil gases. This standard addresses construction of buildings that include, among others, the use of a building or structure, or a portion thereof for multifamily or congregate residential occupancies, educational occupancies, and commercial occupancies.

Updates for 2023

This standard of practice was first published in 2017 and experience since that time was considered in many updates made. The title of the standard was changed for clarity and improvements include:

• Inspections cited during various stages of construction are required rather than optional
• Clarity on qualified professionals needed to implement diagnostic events and effective designs
• Clarity on sealing and soil gas retarder products and installation for completing an air barrier between soil and indoor air
• Integration of existing and improved vapor intrusion design features into sections where items apply.

** While recommended for immediate use, the effective date for compliance with this standard is December 1st, 2023.

Prior Version: CC-1000-2018

What happens if your school fails the test?

Every home should also take this test. Fortunately, even if your school does fail the radon test, the problem can be corrected. Proven techniques are available that will lower radon levels and lower risks of lung cancer from radon exposure.

School is not the only place that students and teachers can be exposed to radon.

Since children spend more time at home, high radon levels there can pose a much greater threat to their health.

Once again, testing is simple and inexpensive. After all, radon is one health problem nobody should have to live with - at home or at school.

For more information, call one of the radon hotlines or contact your state radon coordinator.

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Technical Webinars

Radon Testing in Schools: State Protocols and Resources

The American Lung Association hosted a free webinar featuring a panel of experts within states that have regulatory and non-regulatory protocols in place for testing schools for radon. Tiffany Belser, ALA; Amanda Parkins, CT Department of Public Health; and Daniel Tranter, MN Department of Health, discussed how they worked with schools within their states and resources. The target audience for this webinar was state and county partners, non-profit organizations and school administrators who are looking to implement radon testing protocols for schools.

This project has been funded wholly or in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency under assistance agreement 84021001 to the American Lung Association. The contents of this webinar do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Environmental Protection Agency.

School Radon Basics -Introduction to Radon in Schools by Kansas State University (Nov 2017)

• Find materials from the IAQ Tools for Schools webinar page.