Battle Ground – After a round of air quality testing, Battle Ground Public Schools found radon in one location: a storage room at Laurin Middle School.
No elevated levels of radon were found in areas regularly used by students or staff, according to a district news release.
Radon levels in the storage room were 18.4 picocuries per liter. The Environmental Protection Agency recommends action for rooms with radon rates higher than 4 picocuries per liter. The district is working with environmental services company Environmental Works to mitigate the radon.
Radon, a radioactive gas emitted by the natural decay of granite, is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. It occurs naturally in Clark County, particularly in areas nearer to the Columbia River.
This year, Evergreen Public Schools conducted radon tests at all its campuses and found radon at 15 of its 37 tested buildings.
