Managing indoor air quality in elementary schools is very important since children are more vulnerable than adults. In general, schools have unique characteristics such as having a high level of occupancy (when compared to other settings such as general offices), a variety of pollutant sources (e.g., from arts and science activities and school bus exhaust), short break periods, and poorly designed ventilation systems. Radon is a type of indoor air pollutant that can be found in schools. According to the National Survey for Radon in Schools which was conducted in the United States by EPA (1993), nearly 19.3% of US elementary schools have at least one room with a short-term radon level above 4 pCi/L. Based on the EPA estimation, the short-term radon levels in over 70,000 classrooms in the US today is more than 4 pCi/L (EPA, 1993). Thus, the risk of lung cancer in children in elementary school caused by radon exposure is almost twice higher than adults who were exposed to the same amount of radon. Therefore, this study aimed to describe radon levels in elementary schools and its associated factors.
This study is a systematic literature review which collects and evaluates published papers regarding radon concentration assessments in classrooms from various countries between 2010-2020. Factors affecting radon levels in classrooms were reviewed. A research protocol from the Center for Reviews and Dissemination (CRD) guidelines was used. Google Scholar and Portal Garuda were used as the international and national studies databases for this study, respectively, and 23 literatures were selected. It was found from 23 studies that radon activity ranged from 26.65 – 480 Bq/m3, median: 119 Bq/m3, arithmetic mean 133.43 ± 95.14Bq/m3, geometric mean 109.06 ± 1.87 Bq/m3. The standard values from radon activity are: 100 Bq/m3 (WHO), 148 Bq/m3 (EPA), 200 Bq/m3(ICRP), and 300 Bq/m3(IAEA). Numerous factors are associated with indoor radon levels, which can be classified into building, building location; and meteorological factors. Even though those factors are able to be controlled, more comprehensive studies on radon exposure at elementary schools are required.
Keywords
Radon, Indoor Air Quality, Elementary School, Radon Concentrations, Risk Factors, Systematic Literature Review