WASHINGTON — Parents alarmed by the news that elevated levels of radon have been found in 26 Montgomery County schools and two school system facilities say they want answers — including what remediation efforts have been carried out.
According to information supplied by the school system, some of those elevated ratings were discovered as far back as 2012.
Montgomery County Councilmember Craig Rice, who backed county legislation requiring radon testing when single family homes are sold, says he’s concerned about the findings.
“I was actually in contact with the schools back when we had originally introduced the radon legislation and was assured that testing was being done and that those levels were safe,” he said.
Rice says he now has more questions for school officials.
The Fallsmead Elementary PTA hosted a meeting Tuesday night, where officials from the school system were expected to explain the findings in the report, made public by the Parents Coalition.
School spokeswoman Gboyinde Onijala says letters went out to parents at the affected schools, and late Tuesday afternoon, a link with information on the radon testing was put up on the school system’s website.
Radon is an odorless, colorless gas that has been identified by the EPA as a cancer causing agent; it is second only to smoking as the primary cause of lung cancer in the United States. The MCPS website makes no mention of radon’s link to cancer, but does explain that radon is present across the country.
The EPA explains radon is measured in “picocuries per liter of air,” or “pCi/L.” The EPA recommends carrying out mitigation efforts if indoor levels reach 4 pCi/L or higher. According to information supplied by the school system, the highest reading of radon occurred at Beall Elementary school, where there were readings as high as 7.7 pCi/L.
“The slightly elevated levels do not present an immediate safety hazard to students and staff,” the MCPS website says.
A plan is now in the works to retest the 26 schools where elevated levels were detected.
