Higher-than-normal levels of radon found in nine Fayette County schools

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – Nine Fayette County Public Schools were found to have higher-than-normal levels of radon gas, according to the school district. Radon is a colorless, odorless, radioactive gas that comes from the natural decay of uranium that’s found in soils. According to the EPA, radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer.

The school system says the levels were not high enough to pose a health risk.

Here is the list of schools with elevated levels of radon:

-Bryan Station High School
-Booker T. Washington Intermediate Academy
-Harrison Elementary
-Leestown Middle School
-Lexington Traditional Magnet School
-Mary Todd Elementary
-Russell Cave Elementary
-SCAPA
-Sandersville Elementary

The Board of Education is scheduled to vote March 21, 2016, on whether to approve $571,846.50 to fix the problem.

Here is the radon gas history in the school district. As part of the application process for Green Ribbon Status, schools are required to test for radon. When one of the schools came back with higher than recommended levels, the district decided to put a protocol in place to test all the schools in the county.

The first round of testing was completed last summer, which showed 22 schools had higher than preferable levels. The first solution was to adjust the HVAC systems in the buildings to change the balance of re-circulated air versus fresh air. After the adjustments were made, all 22 schools were retested.

At that point, the above named nine schools still had elevated levels of radon.