Radon in schools of Massachusetts

NITON Corporation has completed the testing of more than 7,000 classrooms in about 500 buildings of more than 80 public and private school systems in Massachusetts. This paper presents the authors protocols and summarizes the results based on about 5,000 of the tests. Only 6% of the rooms had radon levels, measured in weekend screen tests, above 4 pCi/L. a factor of 3 smaller than found in a recent EPA survey. Our protocols are similar to those recommended by the EPA, with three exceptions: Long-term tests that include nights, weekends and school vacations are never carried out; they are manifestly unrealistic measures of radon levels during occupancy. Follow-up tests of elevated measurements are made during hours of occupancy; i.e. during the daytime when schools are in use. Successful screen tests, with the buildings closed and unoccupied and with air-intake systems dampened or off, are carried out throughout the year, not just in cold weather months