Parents wonder: What radon level is safe enough?

Parents concerned about high levels of radon at Zephyr Cove Elementary School weren't offered much comfort during a meeting of the Douglas County School District Board of Trustees on Tuesday at Kingsbury Middle School.

Although the issue of elevated radon levels at Zephyr Cove has led many parents to question whether the district should go ahead with its plans to close Kingsbury, where radon levels have been found to be one-tenth of those at Zephyr Cove, Board President John Louritt made it clear at the beginning of the meeting that consolidation was not on the agenda.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers.

If anyone wanted to talk about consolidation, they would have to wait until the public comment period, Louritt said.

Business Services Director Holly Luna outlined what has been done in terms of testing, and what the district plans to do to mitigate the problem.

Greg Felton, who has a child at each of the district's Lake schools, asked the board to consider what level of radon they would consider satisfactory for students and staff at Zephyr Cove.

"What level is safe enough for our kids?" Felton asked.

Other parents voiced concerns about the district's next plan of action for radon, which is to install high efficiency particulate air filters in each room at Zephyr Cove.

The filters will not actually reduce the amount of radon gas that enters the building, but should help reduce the amount of radioactive material in the air, said Doug Roper, a certified radon tester hired by the district to mitigate the radon problem at Zephyr Cove.

Roper answered questions from parents regarding the filters, reiterating his sentiment that the levels of radon progeny - breakdown products of radon that are considered more of a health hazard than radon itself - he has found at Zephyr Cove are not at the point where he would usually recommend mitigation. But the district insists on bringing the level lower, so not only will the HEPA filters lower the progeny levels, but they have the added value of reducing levels of dust and mold found in the air as well.

Radon gas progeny pose a greater threat to lung tissue than the gas itself because they tend to remain in the lungs longer and emit radiation more rapidly, Howe said Thursday.

The district will proceed with the installation of the HEPA filters, and then every room of Zephyr Cove will be retested. If progeny levels are not brought below a certain level - what level is uncertain, whether it is the EPA action level or lower - the district will proceed to install an active soil depressurization system below the school, which will pump the radon gas out from under the school before it enters the building.

It will be about three weeks until the filters are installed, and then the rooms will be tested. Until then, parents, students and staff will have to wait.

Many parents took the opportunity to address the board during the public comment portion of the meeting. Most took up the issue of consolidation, and whether or not Zephyr Cove remains the best choice.

Aside from the issue of radon levels at Zephyr Cove, parents raised a number of other safety and health concerns:

-- Nevada Department of Transportation will not install a traffic light at the corner of Highway 50 and Warrior Way.

-- Douglas County will not be installing speed bumps or dips on Warrior Way to make the road safer.

-- The district will not pay $1.2 million to reroute Warrior Way in order to lessen traffic near the elementary school.