AARST_Radon_Reporter_July_2022

LETTER FROMTHE AARST PRESIDENT Testing for Radon in Schools and Childcare Facilities Summer is a good time to improve the indoor environments in all school buildings and childcare facilities. Testing to measure radon levels requires planning. Schools are often more crowded than other indoor spaces – four times the population density of a typical office (which means less fresh air available). School staff and child care facility staff could have long-term exposure. The toolkits in this issue of the Radon Reporter provide helpful information to get you started. All states require licensing of childcare facilities. Most childcare licensing rules include environmental health/safety; several specify radon requirements. Licensed childcare may be center-based (typically located in a non-residential building) or home-based (located in a residential building and often referred to as family child care). Nearly 30 years ago, EPA conducted a nationwide survey of radon levels in schools and estimated that nearly one in five U.S. schools have at least one ground contact room with short-term radon levels above 4 pCi/L. It’s been estimated that 20% of the schools nationwide have done some testing. The only way to know whether an elevated level of radon is present in any room in a school or facility is to test. It is recommended that all schools and childcare facilities nationwide be tested for radon. Progress in the States: Standards Adoption New Jersey has become the 11th regulated state to adopt all the ANSI-AARST standards – effective December 6, 2022. Currently certified persons and businesses must complete renewal applications by October 3, 2022. The Department established five categories of certification and an affiliate program that allows individuals to associate with one or more certified businesses to conduct radon testing or mitigation. The certifications are radon measurement specialist, radon measurement technician, radon mitigation specialist, radon measurement business, and radon mitigation business. Details provided at www.njradon.org . Three other states are considering adopting all, and three other states have already adopted one or more. As an ANSI- Accredited Standard Developer, the AARST Consortium continues to provide unparalleled leadership in convening stakeholders to produce and perfect consensus standards. NRPP’s Certification Program Earns ANSI Accreditation I commend theNational RadonProficiency Program(NRPP) for becoming accredited under the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 17024 standard for certification bodies in June. Meeting ANSI’s rigorous requirements for ISO/IEC 17024 standard to join the elite group of organizations that have achieved this distinction highlights AARST’s commitment to offering a high-quality certification program. Symposium – October 24-26 – Bellevue, Washington Please join us at the International Radon and Vapor Intrusion Symposium. An excellent program is under development. We look forward to seeing you in October. Kyle Hoylman, AARST President THE RADON REPORTER | 3