School/Commercial
Iowa School Radon Measurement and Mitigation Requirement signed into law.
DES MOINES, IA | July 1, 2022
On July 1, 2022, House File 2412 was enacted which requires radon testing and mitigation in public schools and radon resistant construction techniques bused for all new construction. The act adds a new section, 280.32 Radon testing and mitigation, to Iowa Code 280, Uniform School Requirements, which is administered by the Iowa Department of Education.
The act requires that:
Radon is an odorless, invisible gas which is the second leading cause of lung cancer. The entire state of Iowa is considered a high-risk zone for radon and the only way to know if elevated radon is present is to test for it.
DES MOINES, IA | May 25, 2022
Governor Kim Reynolds signed into law the Gail Orcutt School Radon Safety Bill. This law requires that Iowa public schools test their buildings for radon every five years and mitigate when elevated levels are found. The law takes effect July 1, 2022, and testing must be completed at least once by July 1, 2027. Testing shall be conducted by a person certified to conduct such testing or by district employees that have completed a school radon testing training program. Testing shall be based on recognized national standards that outline school radon testing practices. If testing shows radon levels above 4.0 pCi/L the public school district shall retain or employ a person credentialed to develop a radon mitigation plan.
Also, all new school construction shall incorporate radon resistant construction techniques.
See complete bill language by clicking on the Gail Orcutt School Radon Safety Bill link above.
House File 2412, An Act requiring radon testing and mitigation in public schools, and including applicability provisions.
DES MOINES, IA | March 29, 2022
Today, the Iowa Senate passed HF 2412, 47-0, the Gail Orcutt School Radon Safety Act, which will require all Iowa public schools to test their attendance centers for radon and if necessary, mitigate radon in their schools. The American Lung Association in Iowa’s Advocacy Director, Kristina Hamilton, issued the following statement about the bill’s passage:
“Today, Iowa is taking a significant step to ensure that the almost 500,000 Iowa school children and 37,000 teachers are protected from radon exposure. The American Lung Association deeply appreciates the strong leadership of the Iowa General Assembly for crafting this legislation that has the potential to save lives.”
“This bill is named in honor of Gail Orcutt, who was a retired Iowa teacher and radon safety advocate who lost her battle with radon-induced lung cancer in 2020. The passage of this legislation is a critical step to help keep others in Iowa from having to unnecessarily suffer lung cancer and death. We urge Governor Reynolds to quickly sign this legislation into law.”
Under the Gail Orcutt School Radon Safety Act, radon testing needs to be completed by all Iowa public schools by 2027 and repeated at least once every 5 years. The law also requires all new school construction to incorporate radon-resistant construction techniques.
From the Iowa Cancer Consortium: Gail Orcutt was a retired Iowa school teacher who was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer due to radon. She became an unstoppable advocate for radon safety policies in Iowa, and it was her work in the decade before her death in 2020 that laid the strong foundation for this bill to be signed into law.
Testing includes:
School and Commercial radon testing Large Building radon testing
Multifamily radon testing
Daycare radon testing
Residential Care Facilities radon testing
Reporting results of all radon testing
RADON MEASUREMENT/MITIGATION STANDARDS FOR MULTIFAMILY BUILDINGS
- Measurement Standard: ANSI/AARST MAMF-2017 with 1/2021 Revisions
- Mitigation Standard: ANSI/AARST RMS-MF-2018 w/ 12/2020 Revisions
- New Construction Standard: ANSI/AARST CC-1000-2018
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