by Margaret Henderson
In support of testing for radon in schools, the Radon Section of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) addresses the importance of educating parents, staff and students about radon. Through its website, lessons for students on radon are provided in the form of “Radon Alert Lesson Plans” that were developed by national experts for teachers to use in elementary, junior high and high school classes. See http://www.nj.gov/dep/rpp/llrw/teacher.htm.
The plans cover topics, such as, where radon is found, what the health effects of radon exposure are, how radon gets into a home and how a radon problem can be “fixed.”
Although there is no mandate to test schools in New Jersey, approximately half of the schools have tested for radon. The radon potential map of New Jersey notes that radon levels exceeding 4pCi/L, the EPA recommended action level, have been found in all areas of the state.
See the map at http://www.state.nj.us/dep/rpp/radon/radonin.htm.
For more information about radon in New Jersey, contact:
NJDEP - Radon Section
Anita Kopera, Supervisor
Trenton, NJ
Phone (609) 984-5425
Fax (609) 984-5595
http://www.njradon.org
United States