School safety is the top of every parents’ mind. However, many parents forget about radon exposure at their home, let alone their office and their children’s school. Many parents falsely believe that radon testing is required in all schools. This is far from the truth.
At the time of publication only 14 states have school testing requirements. Even worse, many of these requirements are not actively enforced. Just like testing a home, radon testing a school is not straight-forward.
Proper testing is key
I’m writing this post to encourage you to contact your school for the latest radon test results. Confirm they were done by a certified company (NRPP or NRSB). Be sure they are up to date and demand a retest if standards were not adhered too. There are so many problems in this world today, many without easy solutions. Radon is not one of those problems.
ANSI/AARST SGM-MFLB-2023, the international consensus standard for school testing is over sixty pages long. The course regarding this exam credential is over twenty credit hours. However, I routinely see and hear of tests being performed by uncertified or unlicensed professionals with no training outside of a few YouTube videos. Here are some of the school testing mistakes we hear about in our industry and ways that schools present challenging mitigations, should high radon be found.
Large footprints: many considerations
If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you already know that HVAC systems and construction materials have the highest influence on indoor radon concentrations. Two different structures built on the same soil footprint will often have drastically different radon levels because of how each building “sucks” on the soil. The biggest mistake we see with uncertified school testing is having it done in the summer months or afterhours. HVAC units in schools, as well as the routine comings-and-goings of occupants will drastically effect the indoor radon decay product concentrations. Testing needs to be done during normal occupancy and use in order for it to be an accurate representation of the exposure the faculty and students will face.
Schools are typically very large buildings. I’ve reluctantly sold test kits to school administrators where they buy enough test kits for a 2,000 sq feet single family home when in reality they need enough for 10,000 sq ft or more. Hopefully my admonishment gets them to use a pro. It bears repeating: schools have myriad of unique testing variables. Volume of radon tests performed as well as duplicates (for lab quality assurance) and blanks (again, for QA) mean that a professional school testing contractor will routinely deploy over 100 short term test devices in a single school.
Build Radon Ready Schools
Schools can be exceedingly difficult buildings to mitigate, for the same reasons they are difficult to test. Schools often have large footprints, multiple foundation types, multiple HVAC systems, and innumerable air pathway entry and exit points. It is for this reason that many states and municipalities now require new schools be built radon-ready with a soil gas collection system already in place under the foundation.
A radon-ready soil gas plan is easy to accomplish with a certified pro and PDS’ geotextile soil gas collector mat. FAQ page here (many photos are from schools in Colorado!)
So if you found your way here by way of asking google “is my child’s school safe from radon?”, then I assume you have yet to find a definitive answer. Hopefully I’ve given you a guide on what to look for when requesting radon reports from school administrators. I am always available for questions by phone, text, or email. Faculty and students deserve a safe learning environment.
Resources for Students and Administrators Available
Lastly, if any science teachers are reading this, please contact me for project and curriculum ideas. I have access pre-made course modules through some of my volunteer network contacts. I am a lover of science and want to support students in any way I can!
If you are a passionate student, please reach out to me so I can connect you with the Premier Youth Ambassadors program and help you spread radon awareness!
Thank you for reading!
