This is Part 3 of a 5-part educational series for #NationalRadonActionMonth.
No matter how old or new, every building has the potential for elevated levels of radon. Radon gas moves upward through cracks and other openings in the foundations of buildings from the soil below. Concentrations can vary based on source strength and soil permeability.
Radon levels are tested closest to its source—the ground. This means testing should occur in the lowest occupied space of a building and other areas in contact with soil, such as upper levels with foundation walls against a hill or berm.
Many schools are constructed on adjoining floor slabs, which permit radon gas to enter through construction and expansion joints between the slabs. Other features, such as basements, crawl spaces, utility tunnels, sub-slab HVAC ducts, cracks, hollow masonry walls that penetrate the floor, and other penetrations in the slab (e.g., around pipes) are also places where radon can enter a building.
Also, air pressure inside a building is sometimes lower than pressure in the soil under the foundation. Because of this difference in pressure, a building can act like a vacuum, drawing radon inside from the soil.
EAIS can help
While there is no “acceptable level” of radon, the EPA has established 4 picocuries per liter of air (pCi/L) as the United States “Action Level” at which a plan should be made to correct elevated radon levels. Since 2015 EAIS has engaged Iowa school districts with its School Radon Training & Support System to train and coach district staff through the process of testing their buildings for radon. For more information about EAIS radon work, click here.