Radon has been clocking in time at in area classrooms for a possible go at participating in the CMT tests. Or according to the Hour, there’s Radon detected in 25 classrooms. I’m not sure what to make of it, so here’s the details from the Anna Gustafson article:
The district conducted two radon tests in about 600 district rooms in December and averaged the results of the two tests to determine which schools needed work to decrease radon levels. The averages are measured against the EPA’s action level for radon in the air, which is 4 picocuries per liter. A curie is the unit used to measure the activity of radioactive substances.Work will likely begin in April to reduce the radon levels, Gorian said. Schools will not be closed during the work, and Gorian said the district plans to work with certified biologists and state-approved contractors for each school.
The district will likely spend between $5,000 and $10,000 to decrease radon levels, according to Gorian. The funds will come from the district’s operating budget.
“The work is not intrusive work; it’s primarily trying to determine where the gas may be coming in through,” Gorian said. “We’ll inspect the floors and walls for cracks and work on the air systems. We’ll vent the rooms so the gases don’t come into the rooms.”
Cracks in rooms will be sealed because radon, which comes from the natural decay of uranium that is found in nearly all soils, typically moves up through the ground to the air above and into a building through a foundation’s cracks and holes.
Individuals should not remain in a room with a radon level exceeding 30 pCi/L, according to the state Department of Health, and no Norwalk room surpassed this level.
Cranbury Elementary had six rooms with radon levels greater than the limit, one of which averaged a final level of 15.2 pCi/L — the district’s highest average. Briggs High School had 12 rooms topping the limit and one room with a level of 9.1 pCi/L. Naramake Elementary had one room with a level of 6.2 pCi/L; Rowayton Elementary had one room with a level of 4.9 pCi/L. Five classrooms at Wolfpit Elementary tested greater than the limit, and the classrooms averaged between 4.0 and 5.2 pCi/L.
Source: The Hour, Radon levels too high in local schools, By ANNA GUSTAFSON, March 21, 2007
