The Knoxville Community School District has announced that their middle school and high school buildings recently passed State required radon testing.

The district’s test results came back well below the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) advised radon action level of 4.0 pCi/L, which further ensures the safety of students and staff. 

All of KCSD’s school buildings have now been tested in the last two years, with West Elementary passing in March 2023 and Northstar Elementary passing in February 2024. Radon testing is important because it cannot be seen, smelled, or tasted, and moves upward through cracks and other openings in the foundations of buildings from the soil under a building. In the United States, radon is the leading cause of lung cancer deaths among nonsmokers.

The State of Iowa requires radon testing at least once every five years for all Iowa public school attendance centers, licensed preschools and licensed child care centers. More information regarding residential radon testing can be found at www.epa.gov/radon.