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Are Puerto Rico’s Schools and Universities Safe from High Radon Levels?

Zimmetry Environmental provides radon and other indoor air quality (IAQ) testing services to identify and mitigate exposure risks.


Bayamon, Puerto Rico – WEBWIRE

We should be testing our schools and universities in Puerto Rico for elevated levels of radon, after all, the EPA ranks indoor radon among the most serious environmental health problems facing the nation.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, most areas of Puerto Rico have geologic radon potential ranging from low to moderate. However, several areas have the geologic potential to generate locally high indoor radon levels if building conditions are favorable for the entry and accumulation of radon. Buildings with the potential for high radon levels can include not just homes and businesses, schools and universities can face these same challenges.
 
Radon typically moves up through the ground to the air above and can get into a school or other building through cracks and holes in the foundation. This is especially true when the air pressure inside a building is lower than the pressure in the soil under the foundation. With this difference in pressure, a building acts like a vacuum, drawing radon inside.
 
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a nationwide survey of radon levels in schools found that nearly one in five has at least one schoolroom with a short-term radon level above the action level of 4 pCi/L (picoCuries per liter) - the level at which EPA recommends that schools take action to reduce the level. In fact, the EPA estimates that more than 70,000 schoolrooms in use today have high short-term radon levels.
 
“We should be testing our schools and universities in Puerto Rico for elevated levels of radon, after all, the EPA ranks indoor radon among the most serious environmental health problems facing the nation,” said Harry Pena, President of Zimmetry Environmental. “The agency recommends that all schools test for it. At Zimmetry, we offer radon and other indoor environmental testing services to protect students, faculty and other workers. If issues are discovered, our building science professionals can help with solutions to mitigate or eliminate potential exposure risks.”
 
Zimmetry also recently sponsored an educational video about radon in schools that can be seen at: https://youtu.be/YLEQ9YBLQK0
 
To learn more about Zimmetry Environmental and radon, indoor air quality, environmental, occupational, and compliance consulting and testing services, please visit www.zimmetry.com, call (787) 995.0005 or email info@zimmetry.com .
 
About Zimmetry Environmental
Since 2002, Zimmetry Environmental has been providing environmental consulting services to building owners and managers, architects, engineers, EHS professionals and Fortune 500 companies.  The company is based in Puerto Rico and provides services across the Caribbean and Central America.  The professionals at Zimmetry offer environmental compliance, indoor air quality, asbestos, lead-based paint, Phase I ESAs and general environmental consulting services.
 


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 Puerto Rico
 Radon
 Education
 Air Testing
 EHS


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