Rep. Tim Briggs (D-Montgomery) announced Tuesday he is reintroducing legislation that would require radon testing in schools, as well as educate and inform parents and guardians of the levels of radon gas in their child’s classroom.

Rep. Briggs said the Department of Environmental Protection is doing public outreach this month as part of National Radon Action Month, warning residents about the dangers of radon gas.

He said his legislation calling for school testing matches DEP Secretary Mike Krancer's message to homeowners – that radon gas is present in nearly half of all Pennsylvania homes; that it can be deadly; that everyone needs to test their homes for radon; and that a radon problem can be "easily and inexpensively" fixed.

"I am happy the DEP is discussing the dangers of radon gas and bringing the issue to the forefront," Rep. Briggs said. "Radon gas is radioactive, colorless, tasteless and odorless. There is no way of knowing its presence unless you test for it. By not taking the simple precaution of testing, we are needlessly endangering our children’s lives every day they go to school."

Rep. Briggs said that next to smoking, radon gas inhalation is the leading cause of lung cancer, killing thousands every year. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, four picocuries – a measurement of radioactivity in the air - is considered to be a dangerous level of radon. If the gas is inhaled, the radon atoms decay in the airways or the lungs. After this occurs, cancerous cells start to develop and spread throughout that tissue.

"Testing for radon contamination is simple and inexpensive," Rep. Briggs said. "The EPA and DEP have extensive resources available on the dangers of radon gas, and school districts need to step up and take the lead in protecting our kids from this silent killer."

According to Rep. Briggs, some schools have been tested and found to contain radon levels as much as eight times greater than that deemed dangerous. He said some school districts have acted to resolve dangerous levels of radon contamination in their school buildings, but there is no law requiring them to do so.

Rep. Briggs said Bensalem School District discovered that 15 classrooms in one school alone contained high levels of radon gas after they voluntarily tested their schools. More than five years ago, Howe Elementary School in Mt. Lebanon had radon levels three times the EPA limits: about 15.6 picocuries per liter in the cafeteria. However, some parents said the school district never told them about it.

"All parents have the right to know that their child’s classroom is a safe environment, but it is impossible to ensure the safety of students if schools aren’t testing for this gas," Rep. Briggs said. "Informing parents of the potential risk of radon in our classrooms provides a means for greater transparency and cooperation between schools and parents regarding potential health threats to our children."

Rep. Briggs said his legislation would require each school district to contact the parent or guardian of each student in writing regarding radon testing in the school buildings. The notice must include whether or not testing has been conducted, and the highest amount of radon detected in the testing.

If the legislation is signed into law, all school districts would be required to complete a radon test of each school building by June 30, 2014. Additionally, any newly constructed school buildings would have to be tested within 19 months of the date of occupancy, and any remodeled school buildings would be retested within 19 months of completion of the remodeling. In addition, the bill would require these tests to be completed every five years from the date of the initial test.

1/28/2013