Davidson County Schools Testing For Elevated Radon Levels
August 24, 2011
Davidson County Metro Schools have quietly begun testing of all school buildings for the cancer-causing gas radon, following an ongoing News Channel 5 investigation, which uncovered test results from more than 20 years ago that showed elevated levels of the carcinogen in the classrooms. School officials are now saying nothing has been done since then to lower the levels, infuriating teachers, workers, and parents.
In 1989, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) tested eleven of the city’s schools and found alarmingly high levels of radon in 80 percent of the classrooms tested. These results placed Davidson county schools among the highest radon levels in the country. The EPA helped Metro lower the levels at two schools, but no efforts have been made since then to test for or lower radon levels in the schools.
The test results from the EPA estimated that a teacher in a classroom with 100 picoCuries per liter for ten years has a one in 40 chance of getting lung cancer, and the risks were higher for children.
The county says it intends to continue testing the 139 schools over the weekends for the next several months, with results back as early as within a week.
The things that we cannot see, smell, hear, and touch in this world can sometimes be the deadliest. If you have been exposed to an environmental hazard, such as radon, you may be entitled to compensation for the medical care you incurred.
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Tags: High radon levels, Radon Gas dangers, Radon safety, Radon testing, Tennessee Environmental Injury Lawyer