I sent two DC through one of those schools. How do I learn more?

PP is correct per the following links. However, it may impact 28 or more schools throughout the county.

WJLA News:

http://wjla.com/news/local/dangerous-levels-of-radon-found-in-28-mcps-schools

Parents Coalition of MCPS:

http://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/

Per WJLA; "According to a five-page report obtained by ABC7 News, 28 of MCPS' 205 schools have dangerous radon levels. Furthermore, the parents, teachers, staff and students were not made aware of the high level of radon gas, or the lack of required retesting.

Radon is an odorless, tasteless gas that often seeps into buildings through cracks in the foundation. Because it can cause lung cancer, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says radon shouldn't top four picocuries per liter (pCi/l).

Redland Middle School in Derwood registered 6 pCi/l. South Lake Elementary School in Gaithersburg landed 9.6 pCi/l. Springbrook High School in Silver Spring was marked at 9.8 pCi/l. But the whopper of them all, the Lathrop E. Smith Environmental Education Center in Rockville, which emitted 11.9 pCi/l of radon. That is nearly three times the EPA safety limit.

"Eleven, eleven is high, that's a danger level," said James Keilson, a certified master radon tester and instructor with Maryland Home Inspection Services, Inc. Keilson who's been in business for 30 years, was surprised by the numbers.

"These are high levels. I mean [if it were] my kids, I wouldn't allow them into this building or at least the rooms that were tested to be at this level," Keilson remarked while reviewing the testing report.

When asked for comment, an MCPS spokesman said the school system takes radon seriously and added that it's now planning to re-test problem classrooms. He did not say whether-or-not parents with children at schools with high levels of radon had been made aware of the issue"

MCPS is now demanding at least $339 for access to the actual test reports for just the 10 buildings listed;

Damascus Elementary School

Fallsmead Elementary School

Glennallan Elementary School

Redland Middle School

South Lake Elementary School

Springbrook High School

Takoma Park Elementary School

Watkins Mill Elementary School

Westland Middle School

Carver Center (MCPS headquarters)

Every teacher and every parent with a child in MCPS should be concerned and should ask to review the actual, room-by-room test reports for their children's school.

See the Parents Coalition of MCPS blog for the actual letter from Brian Edwards Chief Communications Officer dated November 25, 2015. MCPS wants to recover the cost of providing information to individuals, in accordance with Maryland state laws as well as MCPS policy. The letter estimated a cost of $339.84 based on 10 hours of staff time and the staff hourly rate of $37.76 an hour. Not sure about their math, but look it up for yourself. It also may take longer than 10 days to fulfill such a request.

Furthermore, the above list of schools may not be comprehensive.

Fallsmead indicated that several rooms had radon levels which required retesting, that never occurred. Mr. Sean Yarup, from MCPS Air Quality Control, and Mr. Sean Gallagher, Director of MCPS Facilities Management will speak Tuesday evening to the public, to address everyones concerns at 7PM Fallsmead ES.

The Parents Coalition of MCPS reports, "As we reported in the blog article below, the 5 page radon test report that the Parents' Coalition obtained last week was fabricated by MCPS in response to a public information act request, and is not an genuine test report.

We urge teachers and parents to demand to see the actual test reports for all rooms in their schools. Real test reports will show the start and end date and time of each test, the type of test performed, and the results of each test.

According to EPA recommendations, testing must be performed during normal use of the room being tested. Tests should not be performed while school is not in session, such as during the summer. The most accurate tests take at least three months, although a fairly accurate test can be performed in as little as three days." Furthermore, "MCPS Chief Communications Officer Brian Edwards reveals that radon document provided last week was fabricated."

Fallsmead's PTA in Rockville is having a meeting about it this evening. The retesting was not performed there and some rooms are high.

Anonymous wrote:

Actually, you're failing to recognize the different impacts on children because of rapid cell development. I'm well versed in risk assessment. While there are riskier things we do (ride in cars, certainly) that does not excuse being subjected to an increased risk above the federal limits.

The risk to children is higher, but not because of "rapid cell development". Because of differences in lung shape and size and breathing rate.

http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/csem.asp?csem=8&po=7

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I talked to the director of building services last week after this report showed up (before it hit the news) and got the specific report for our school Fallsmead ES. Half of the classrooms were 4.0 or above. The test was performed in 2012 people! THis is what the news story missed! Done in 2012 and they did NOTHING! Their protocol per the director was to retest as he saw no issues with levels between 4-6 even though the EPA recommends remediation for levels over 4 and to consider remediation for levels 2-4. He was looking for records of retesting at Fallsmead ES and found none. I asked him how the protocol was formulated outside of EPA recommendations, why retesting and/or remediation was never done, to which I got no answers. Also, why was no public notification done as I would have liked to choose to keep my son out of school. I have the classroom by classroom report ofr our school and my son spent his first grade in the room with the highest level in the school. We are not happy with this and someone should lose their job as it was either covered up purposefully or neglected to to incompetence. Not sure which is worse!. Parents pressured them into retesting TODAY.

If 1,000 people who never smoked were exposed to 8 pCi/L of radon over a lifetime, about 15 people could get lung cancer.

http://www2.epa.gov/radon/health-risk-radon

You'd keep your son out of school for that?

(At a lifetime exposure of 4 pCi/L of radon for non-smokers, about 7 out of 1,000 people could get lung cancer.)

a 1.5% increase in cancer rate is huge. Especially for something that is COMPLETELY avoidable. Remediating for radon is not that hard. It's a freaking pipe and a fan.
PP above, what's the contact info for the building services person you contacted?

The increase in risk is not 1.5 percent unless your child will be spending the rest of his/her lifetime in that particular classroom. People need to do better risk assessment. I can guarantee your kid does about 100 things each and every day that put them at greater risk.

Actually, you're failing to recognize the different impacts on children because of rapid cell development. I'm well versed in risk assessment. While there are riskier things we do (ride in cars, certainly) that does not excuse being subjected to an increased risk above the federal limits.

You keep spouting off inaccurate statistic after inaccurate statistic. Well versed in being an alarmist I would agree with.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I talked to the director of building services last week after this report showed up (before it hit the news) and got the specific report for our school Fallsmead ES. Half of the classrooms were 4.0 or above. The test was performed in 2012 people! THis is what the news story missed! Done in 2012 and they did NOTHING! Their protocol per the director was to retest as he saw no issues with levels between 4-6 even though the EPA recommends remediation for levels over 4 and to consider remediation for levels 2-4. He was looking for records of retesting at Fallsmead ES and found none. I asked him how the protocol was formulated outside of EPA recommendations, why retesting and/or remediation was never done, to which I got no answers. Also, why was no public notification done as I would have liked to choose to keep my son out of school. I have the classroom by classroom report ofr our school and my son spent his first grade in the room with the highest level in the school. We are not happy with this and someone should lose their job as it was either covered up purposefully or neglected to to incompetence. Not sure which is worse!. Parents pressured them into retesting TODAY.

If 1,000 people who never smoked were exposed to 8 pCi/L of radon over a lifetime, about 15 people could get lung cancer.

http://www2.epa.gov/radon/health-risk-radon

You'd keep your son out of school for that?

(At a lifetime exposure of 4 pCi/L of radon for non-smokers, about 7 out of 1,000 people could get lung cancer.)

a 1.5% increase in cancer rate is huge. Especially for something that is COMPLETELY avoidable. Remediating for radon is not that hard. It's a freaking pipe and a fan.
PP above, what's the contact info for the building services person you contacted?

The increase in risk is not 1.5 percent unless your child will be spending the rest of his/her lifetime in that particular classroom. People need to do better risk assessment. I can guarantee your kid does about 100 things each and every day that put them at greater risk.

Actually, you're failing to recognize the different impacts on children because of rapid cell development. I'm well versed in risk assessment. While there are riskier things we do (ride in cars, certainly) that does not excuse being subjected to an increased risk above the federal limits.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:7/1000 vs 0/1000! Yes I would, especially when remediation is easy and not that costly. Worse is that they IGNORED and did not disclose the issue so long term exposure was guaranteed. This is just another environmental hazard. They are additive and when you throw in cell/wifi, pesticides/GMOs, flouride, chlorine, etc. etc. etc...javascript:void(0);

This is hysteria. Fluoride and chlorine and GMOs? Get off the internet; it's making you a hypochondriac. And stop reading Dr. Mercola. He's a quack.

Your opinion is greatly appreciated. Obviously health is a great concern for you and your family.
Ok, I am going off topic, but in regards to EPA we need to open our eyes to the environmental standards in our country as compared to others and wonder why companies like Gatorade/MARS/Kelloggs have different recipes for us vs EU, etc. Why many EU countries, Russia, etc are banning GMOs go avoid Round-Up on their dinner table etc. THE EPA allows 700 parts per billion glyphosate (RoundUp) in our water. The EU allows 0.1PPB!
Therefore, if the EPA sets a radon limit of 4.0, it probably should be .4!

Amen!!

But bigger corporations have big pockets for politicians.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

No one is saying to have teachers in these rooms year after year, because MCPS is testing and remediating. If they didn't bother to test or treat, that would be a problem.

tests are years old
no redmediating

I talked to the director of building services last week after this report showed up (before it hit the news) and got the specific report for our school Fallsmead ES. Half of the classrooms were 4.0 or above. The test was performed in 2012 people! THis is what the news story missed! Done in 2012 and they did NOTHING! Their protocol per the director was to retest as he saw no issues with levels between 4-6 even though the EPA recommends remediation for levels over 4 and to consider remediation for levels 2-4. He was looking for records of retesting at Fallsmead ES and found none. I asked him how the protocol was formulated outside of EPA recommendations, why retesting and/or remediation was never done, to which I got no answers. Also, why was no public notification done as I would have liked to choose to keep my son out of school. I have the classroom by classroom report ofr our school and my son spent his first grade in the room with the highest level in the school. We are not happy with this and someone should lose their job as it was either covered up purposefully or neglected to to incompetence. Not sure which is worse!. Parents pressured them into retesting TODAY.

How did you get the classroom report? Are you willing to share? I have three children at Fallsmead ES. I am not happy at all. I hope the retesting reports are shared with the school. The teachers are at risk too!!