High radon levels found on campus

Correction Appended

The University has closed off the basement of Forbes College after students raised concerns that area, as well as the basement of Edwards Hall, might contain unusually high concentrations of the cancer-causing natural gas radon.

Radon is a radioactive gas present in everyday air that can't be seen, smelled or tasted. It is the leading cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers and is responsible for more than 20,000 deaths in the United States each year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website.

Students in an integrated engineering course this spring brought the issue to the attention of the University after finishing a lab on radon decay, in which they detected high radon levels in the basements of Forbes and Edwards.

"I was surprised by some of the measurements which turned out kind of high," said physics professor Frank Calaprice, who taught the lab. "I was very pleased with the experiment, though. It was a real discovery experiment, and the students really enjoyed doing something where the answers weren't already known."

"The results [in Forbes] ... were an entire order of magnitude above our other readings," Maya Srinivasan '10 said in an email.

The students' measurements, however, did not conclusively determine the radon level in the air.

"The readings the students took were only preliminary, and they didn't use traditional equipment," University spokeswoman Cass Cliatt '96 said. "We take any concern seriously, though."

"Our measurement technique was not designed to measure absolute radon levels," Calaprice said. "It was primarily designed to measure the rate of radon decay and teach the students about nuclear physics and radioactive decay."

In response to the laboratory findings, the University closed off the basement of Forbes and began performing tests Wednesday. The preliminary measurements showed radon levels within the EPA guidelines, which dictate that a building's air should contain less than four picocuries per liter of radon. No conclusive measurements will be taken until this weekend, though, Cliatt said, because the University will not have the proper equipment until then.

Edward Weng '10 said he was surprised by the results, though he did not believe they were dangerous. "Compared to the dosage of radiation that we get from things like x-rays, that of radon in the basements wasn't all that high."

The preliminary measurements showed radon levels in Forbes library that could cause the equivalent effect of three chest x-rays on a student who spent one hour per day in the library for three months, University health physicist Sue Dupre estimated in the University's press release.

"I was concerned because many students study for prolonged hours in Forbes library," Srinivasan said. "I feel like there is a danger with the amount of time students spend in there studying."

The average residential radon level in the United States is 1.3 picocuries per liter, according to the EPA, but Cliatt stressed there is no precise understanding of what level of radon is dangerous.

In response to the discoveries made by the engineering class, the University will also perform radon tests this summer in residential and academic buildings, likely including the areas called into question by the students' findings. Extensive radon testing was last done in the 1990s, Cliatt said, when the University detected no dangerous radon levels in any buildings.

Cliatt added that when the University conducts radon tests this summer, it may try to more closely simulate the conditions tested by the engineering class, to take more accurate readings for year-round radon levels.

Cliatt said the experience has provided a chance for the University administration to collaborate with students and physics department faculty in investigating the air quality.

"It's great to see our students be proactive," Cliatt said. "This provided a learning opportunity for them and also an opportunity for the University to take a closer look at our testing procedures."

Dora Chua '10, a student in Calaprice's lab and a Forbes resident, said that her group was troubled by the findings. "At first, we were laughing that Forbes was radioactive and stuff like that, but the more we thought about it, the more concerned we were."

Correction

The original version of this article stated that the University has closed off the basements of Edwards Hall and Forbes College, but in fact, only the basement of Forbes was closed. Additionally, the original version of the article stated that the University will test all dorms and academic buildings for radon this summer. In fact, the University will test some buildings, likely including the areas called into question by the engineering class's findings. The Daily Princetonian regrets these errors.