Testing for radon at Luckey schools shows acceptable levels, Ohio EPA says

LUCKEY, Ohio — Radon testing conducted at three Luckey-area schools by state health authorities last week found acceptably low levels of radon on par with the national indoor average, according to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.

The radon testing at Eastwood elementary, middle and high schools was done by a licensed service provider from the Ohio Department of Health and is in conjunction with the Ohio EPA’s testing of radiation levels in the village’s water following a report from the Toledo Blade.

The OEPA took samples from “all regularly occupied first-floor rooms” at the three schools from May 6-8, which are just south of Luckey in the village of Pemberville. The agency also took samples from the elementary’s second floor.

“Results show levels below the U.S. EPA recommended limit 4.0 pCi/L, which is the maximum amount of radon permissible in the air to protect human health and the environment. The results are also in-line with the national indoor radon average level of 1.3 pCi/L,” the agency said in a press release on Tuesday.

Radon levels are measured in picocuries per liter, or pCi/L for short, according to the U.S. EPA.

Sixty tests were conducted at the high school and the highest reading found there was 1.4 pCi/L. Forty-three tests were conducted at the middle school and the highest reading was 1.0 pCi/L. Sixty-one tests were conducted at the elementary school and the highest reading was 0.8 pCi/L.

“The EPA’s recommendation for readings below 4.0 pCi/L is that no immediate follow up measurements are required and that there is a relatively low probability that mitigation is warranted,” the agency’s report says.

You can read the full report at the bottom of this article.

The OEPA gave the Eastwood school district a $20,000 reimbursement grant for this round of testing and will conduct a second round in the fall.

The agency’s testing is out of caution, not emergency, according to Amy Klei, chief of the OEPA’s Division of Drinking and Ground Water. Last week, she said all data collected up to that indicated the village’s water is safe to drink.

Results of testing from nine public water locations in Luckey are expected in June.

Luckey residents, however, have raised concerns regarding water safety.

RELATED: ‘Luckey is sick’: Village residents voice concern about possible radioactive contamination in water

The village was home to a former nuclear weapons plant, and officials have worked to remediate the land, as radionuclides and beryllium have been found in the soil in the past.

Residents can also conduct their own indoor radon tests at home, according to state officials.

“We do have a free radon test kit for testing their indoor air, so I would recommend folks reach out and request those test kits and see what results they have for indoor air,” said Gene Phillips, chief of health protection and safety operations at the Ohio Department of Health.