It has become fairly commonplace for homeowners to test their houses for radon, the colorless, odorless and tasteless radioactive gas that seeps from the ground and can cause lung cancer. But schools, where a child can spend 14,000 hours by the time of high school graduation, often are overlooked, two Cornell University housing experts report.

"Children in schools are particularly vulnerable to radon's effects," says Joseph Laquatra, associate professor of design and environmental analysis at Cornell, who has published numerous articles on the dangers of radon in housing. "Children are more sensitive to air pollution than adults. They breathe more air relative to their body weight and are more likely to breathe through their mouths than adults, which bypasses the nasal cavity's protective functions."

Radon is a short-lived radioactive element belonging to the group of noble gases and results from the decay of radium and other radioactive elements. It occurs naturally, particularly in areas underlain by granite.

Laquatra and Lorraine Maxwell, also an associate professor in the department, have published a fact sheet on radon in schools to provide guidance and advice to parents and administrators who want to get their schools tested. "There's no question that radon causes lung cancer," says Laquatra. "In fact, between 15,000 and 20,000 deaths every year in this country are attributed to radon."

He notes that in a nationwide survey, the Environmental Protection Agency reported recently that one in five schools, more than 70,000 classrooms, has at least one classroom with levels above the critical threshold. "Yet, we have no systematic radon testing of schools in this country," Laquatra says.

Schools in high-risk zones (designated as Zone 1 by the Environmental Protection Agency) are particularly affected; most of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio (where experts estimate 62 percent of schools have at least one contaminated classroom) and Indiana are in this zone. Many other states have numerous high-risk counties as well. The fact sheet explains how to get schools tested and mitigated if necessary (which is less expensive than asbestos removal, Laquatra notes). Part of a series, "Facility Planning and

Management Notes" (Vol. 1, No. 10), the fact sheet is available for purchase individually from Cornell University, Media and Technology Services Resource Center, fax (607) 255-9946 or e-mail resctr@cornell.edu.