Schools need to protect students and staff from radon

This January,U.S. EPA encourages you to test your school facilities for radon

Children may be exposed to radon
at school.

Radon — a colorless, odorless, radioactive gas — is one of the most hazardous indoor pollutants.

It is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. And it might be affecting your children.

Without proper mitigation, radon can enter school facilities from the soil through cracks and openings in building foundations.

Thousands of classrooms nationwide have radon levels above EPA's action level of 4 pCi/l (picocuries per liter), exposing occupants to this serious health risk. The only way to determine if your school building has elevated radon levels is to test.

Using the Framework for Effective School IAQ Management: Key Drivers can help you address radon risk as part of a comprehensive IAQ management program:

• Organize: Develop a systematic approach by using the IAQ Tools for Schools Action Kit to tie your goals for radon testing to your overarching IAQ, health and environmental program goals. Establish a multidisciplinary team to plan for radon testing and mitigation, and develop district-wide radon management procedures.

• Communicate: Include radon awareness as part of your overall IAQ management training and education efforts. Share your testing results, mitigation plans and follow-up testing plans. In cases of elevated radon levels, ensure that your mitigation plan is in place so you can communicate those plans to parents and staff.

• Assess: Perform radon testing in conjunction with your regular IAQ walkthroughs. If elevated radon levels are found, survey your building for potential radon entry points and mitigate.

• Plan: Working with your IAQ team, identify your action steps and set a schedule for your testing plan. Determine what type of test kits to use and which rooms will be tested. Your state radon program can help identify next steps and offer other guidance throughout the process of testing and mitigation.

• Act: Test according to your IAQ management plan. EPA suggests initial short-term testing in all frequently-occupied, ground contact rooms. Attend radon training to learn about radon and how to effectively test, mitigate and maintain radon reduction. Empower maintenance and facilities staff to become radon champions, school district staff will likely refer to them for answers about the testing plan and mitigation actions.

• Evaluate: Determine additional testing needs and follow-up. Schedule re-testing after all major renovations, and consider how HVAC modifications or upgrades may affect radon intrusion.

Learn more about radon testing and mitigation in your school district by visiting EPA's radon home page, or contact your state radon office for local information about radon, and for state-specific recommendations for testing and mitigation.

Source: EPA

For better indoor air quality at work and at home, use a high-quality air cleaner with activated carbon + HEPA (and optional UV) for the best all-around protection. Electrocorp offers industrial and commercial air cleaners of all sizes and shapes for workplaces large and small. Contact Electrocorp for more information.

EPA pushing home radon testing for 2013: Elevated levels found in 1 of every 15 homes in the U.S.

As part of National Radon Action Month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is encouraging Americans to test and fix radon problems to help prevent lung cancer and potentially save lives.

“Testing for radon is one of the easiest and smartest things people can do to protect their homes and families from this serious health risk,” said Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Air and Radiation. “Addressing high radon levels greatly reduces exposure to the second leading cause of lung cancer.”


Radon occurs naturally from the decay of uranium in the soil and can accumulate to dangerous levels inside the home. Elevated levels of the colorless, odorless gas are the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers.
Elevated levels of this health hazard in workplaces, homes, schools, and other buildings can be prevented through these simple steps:

• Test: All buildings with or without basements should be tested for radon. Affordable Do-It-Yourself radon test kits are available online and at home improvement and hardware stores, or a qualified radon tester can be hired.

• Fix: EPA recommends taking action to fix radon levels at or above 4 picoCuries per Liter (pCi/L) and contacting a qualified radon-reduction contractor.

• Save a Life: 21,000 Americans die from radon related lung cancer each year, but by addressing elevated levels, you can help prevent lung cancer while creating a healthier home and community.

More on how to test, find a qualified radon professional, obtain a test kit or contact your state radon office: http://www.epa.gov/radon or call 1-800-SOS-RADON

Students and staff exposed to radon in schools

Radon can enter thousands of classrooms in the U.S.

United States classrooms may be contaminated with radon, experts say.

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that enters buildings through cracks and openings in the foundation and exterior.

It is a known carcinogenic and the second leading cause of lung cancer after tobacco smoke.

Once it seeps into buildings, radon can build up to dangerously high levels.

Since radon can enter any home or building, schools are no exception, but many schools could do more to protect students and staff by testing for radon and making sure that exposure is minimal, they say.

If a student is exposed at 4 picocuries per liter (the EPA’s action level), it is about the same as smoking half a pack of cigarettes per day, experts say.

There is no federal law mandating radon testing, so it is up to individual schools and districts to make the call.
Many school districts don’t test for radon because they say they don’t have the funds.

The EPA estimates that more than 70,000 classrooms across the country are at risk.

Source: UPI

Provide a healthy environment in schools

Radon is not the only polluting factor in the school environment.

Students and staff are often exposed to chemicals and gases, stuffy air, particles and dust, allergens like pollen, mold and other indoor air contaminants.

In many schools, the ventilation system is unable to provide the amount of fresh air that is needed to keep students and staff healthy and productive.

Electrocorp offers high quality air cleaners for schools and universities that can help remove those contaminants from the ambient air.

The air cleaners are equipped with an effective and reliable filtration system with deep-bed activated carbon filters for the removal of chemicals, VOCs, odors and gases, a HEPA filter for particles, dust and allergens and optional UV germicidal filtration for the neutralization of bacteria, viruses and mold.

For more information and options, contact Electrocorp today.


Related posts:

• Radon - An air quality threat in schools
• Video: Indoor air pollution in schools
• Students need better air quality in schools

Radon - An air quality threat in schools

Schools should test for radon and other
air quality concerns, experts say.

National Radon Action Month may be over, but the invisible radon threat is a year-round problem.

The naturally occurring radioactive gas also does not care where or when it accumulates, so it may be present in homes, government buildings or schools at higher than acceptable levels.

Since one building can have high levels of radon while the one next to it doesn’t, experts recommend testing every home and building for radon. The best time for testing is the winter.

Radon enters buildings through cracks and fissures in the foundation or other opening in the building, and it can accumulate indoors.

The gas represents a health hazard when someone is exposed to high concentrations over a relatively long time (several decades). In fact, radon contributes to 20,000 lung cancer deaths each year.

In order to protect children from radon exposure in schools, some administrations are taking action.

The English Montreal School Board last year sent out a letter to the schools informing them of a new radon detection program instigated by the Ministry of Education, Leisure and Sports (MELS).

New Health Canada guidelines lowered the acceptable levels of radon in the ambient air. In schools where radon concentration exceeds 200 Becquerel’s per cubic meter, which represents the maximum “safe” concentration under the new guidelines, remedial measures have to be taken.

In January 2012, radon detectors were installed in schools, which will be removed in the spring to be analyzed in a laboratory.

According to a Radio-Canada report from Jan. 30, the ministry of education decided to test all of Quebec’s primary and high schools for radon.

It’s a preventive measure, officials say.

School boards are required to test all their buildings for radon. The deadline for completion is July 1, 2014.

Mitigation techniques include special venting systems that vent the radon outdoors and sealing the cracks and fissures in the building's foundation and exterior, among others.

Radon is not the only polluting factor in the school environment. To learn more about indoor air pollution in schools and possible solutions, contact Electrocorp today.
 

IAQ concerns at work: Even health departments can be unhealthy

Poor indoor air quality can affect workers' well-being
and productivity.

Indoor air quality has become a top public health concern, and the problems are not confined to people’s homes.

In many cases, their offices and work sites also expose them to indoor air pollutants such as VOCs, mold, chemicals and dust or smaller particles.

Long-term exposure to indoor air pollution has been linked to a wide range of health effects for some people, including respiratory issues, Sick Building Syndrome and more.

Even health departments are affected.

In the case of the Fairfield County Health Department in Connecticut, workers were exposed to moisture and mold problems as well as a flea infestation, bats and rodents, poor indoor air quality due to a lack of air circulation, lead and high radon levels.

Officials say some of the concerns have been addressed already, but humidity problems and black mold as well as other IAQ concerns have been too costly to fix.

The employees have been submitting complaints and voicing their frustration, but finding a new location may take some time, they say.

Source: Columbus Dispatch

Improve IAQ with powerful air cleaners

Electrocorp has designed portable and multistage air filtration systems for many industrial and commercial applications, including

• Facilities management
• Offices (and office printers)
• Healthcare and hospitals

The air cleaners remove the widest range of indoor air pollutants from the ambient air with the help of a deep-bed activated carbon air filter (which adsorbs airborne chemicals, gases, odors and fumes), a HEPA filter (to trap as much as 99.97% of particles that are 0.3 microns in size) as well as UV germicidal filtration (to neutralize mold spores, bacteria and viruses).

Along with source control and proper ventilation, the right air cleaner can help keep the indoor air clean and healthy.

Contact Electrocorp for more information and options.
  

A great idea: State grants that help address health hazards in homes

Almost all homes have some kind of
indoor air quality concern.

The Minnesota Department of Health has awarded a quarter of a million dollars to seven health agencies in order to reach out to homeowners about health hazards in the home.

The initiative hopes to raise awareness of common indoor health hazards such as:

• Lead
• Radon
• Indoor air pollutants such as tobacco smoke

The funds are supposed to support local efforts  to encourage prevention activities as well as providing guidance and support.

The program builds on another initiative that is already addressing lead poisoning prevention for people moist likely to be exposed.

It was expanded because many homes that have one type of health hazard also suffer from other indoor air pollution issues, officials say.

The grants are set up to help target high-risk population groups, including young children, low-income and minorities, the elderly and areas with high levels of radon or lead hazards.

The local agencies that received a grant will set up healthy home networks in their communities consisting of professional staff, community members and other members.

The goal is to raise awareness of indoor air quality issues and to help people get healthy homes for a healthy population.

Source: Echo Press

Air cleaners for IAQ concerns

Electrocorp has designed industrial-grade air cleaners for a wide range of industry applications, including mold and asbestos abatement, construction, environmental consulting and more.

The air cleaners are equipped with a multistage filtration system featuring activated carbon and HEPA, capable of removing the widest range of indoor air contaminants (including chemicals, gases, odors, particles, pathogens and more).

For more information, contact Electrocorp: 866-667-0297.