Pilot Program Will Test 11 Schools for Radon

NOTE: A list of 2004 radon levels for schools being tested in 2007 follows this release.

The Department of Education will test 11 schools next month for radon. This is the first step in a provincewide program to test most public buildings.

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas caused by the breakdown of rock and soil. It is invisible, colourless and odourless.

"There is no immediate health risk for students, teachers or staff, but it is important that homes and workplaces be tested to determine what radon levels are present," said Dr. Robert Strang, acting deputy provincial medical officer of health.

A lifetime exposure to high levels of radon, something that few people will likely encounter in a school, could lead to an increased risk of lung cancer, especially for smokers.

The 11 schools, and their respective school boards, are:

Cape Breton-Victoria Regional School Board

• Cape Smokey Elementary School, Ingonish Beach

Conseil scolaire acadien provincial

• École N-D-A, Cheticamp

Halifax Regional School Board

• Atlantic Memorial, Whites Lake
• East St. Margarets Bay Elementary School, Indian Harbour
• Five Bridges, Hubley
• St. Margarets Bay Elementary School, Head of St. Margarets Bay
• Terence Bay Elementary, Terence Bay
• William King Elementary School, Herring Cove

South Shore Regional School Board

• New Ross Consolidated School, New Ross

Strait Regional School Board

• Cape Breton Highlands Academic Education Centre, Terre Noire
• Pleasant Bay School, Pleasant Bay

Nova Scotia has some experience in testing for radon.

In 2004, the province tested well water at 184 schools, which led to 14 schools being tested for radon at that time. None of the 14 schools exceeded the current 800 becquerels per cubic metre national radon exposure guideline. A lower national exposure guideline of 200 becquerels per cubic metre is being considered.

Seven of the 11 schools were tested in 2004 and had radon levels close to, or above, the proposed federal guideline. Four schools in Cape Breton were added because local geology suggests there could be high radon concentrations in their vicinity.

The testing protocol will be patterned after a process used in Ireland in 2004, which was one of the most comprehensive surveys of radon levels in the world.

Every ground floor room that is regularly used as a classroom, administration office or staff room will be tested. The 2004 tests used a sampling of two to four rooms per school.

Testing these 11 schools will cost about $30,000. Remediation costs will be determined on a case by case basis. Increasing ventilation is a common form of reducing radon build-up.

Regardless of whether a nearby school tests below the national radon exposure guideline, property owners are encouraged to test their homes and businesses, and to remediate where necessary. Radon concentration can vary from property to property, even room to room.

NOTE: 2004 Radon Test Results for schools to be tested in 2007

(Becquerels per cubic metre) School Room 1 Room 2 Room 3 Room 4 Atlantic Memorial 205 227 East St. Margarets 82 424 Five Bridges 67 22 26 655 New Ross Consolidated 182 86 St. Margarets Bay 219 632 Terence Bay 246 123 William King 63 327