title: Association of School District Policies for Radon Testing and Radon-Resistant New Construction Practices with Indoor Radon Zones.
abstract: Radon is a naturally occurring, colorless, odorless, and tasteless radioactive gas. Without testing, its presence is unknown. Using nationally representative data from the 2012 School Health Policies and Practices Study, we examined whether the prevalence of school district policies for radon testing and for radon-resistant new construction practices varied by district location in relation to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Map of Radon Zones. Among school districts located in counties with high predicted average indoor radon, 42.4% had policies for radon testing and 37.5% had policies for radon-resistant new construction practices. These findings suggest a critical need for improved awareness among policy makers regarding potential radon exposure for both students and school staff.
authors.affiliation: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA. slfoster@cdc.gov.
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Foster
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA. severettjones@cdc.gov.
authors.forename: Sherry
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Everett Jones
mesh_terms: D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000032:analysis*; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D011886:Radon / Q000032:analysis*; D012574:Schools / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D011886:Radon
keywords: policy; radon; radon-resistant new construction; school district; schools; testing