Lung Association Applauds Iowa General Assembly for Passing Bill to Require Radon Testing in Schools

Today, the Iowa Senate passed HF 2412, 47-0, the Gail Orcutt School Radon Safety Act, which will require all Iowa public schools to test their attendance centers for radon and if necessary, mitigate radon in their schools. The American Lung Association in Iowa’s Advocacy Director, Kristina Hamilton, issued the following statement about the bill’s passage:

“Today, Iowa is taking a significant step to ensure that the almost 500,000 Iowa school children and 37,000 teachers are protected from radon exposure. The American Lung Association deeply appreciates the strong leadership of the Iowa General Assembly for crafting this legislation that has the potential to save lives. 

“Radon is an odorless, invisible gas which is the second leading cause of lung cancer. The entire state of Iowa is considered a high-risk zone for radon and the only way to know if elevated radon is present is to test for it. 

“This bill is named in honor of Gail Orcutt, who was a retired Iowa teacher and radon safety advocate who lost her battle with radon-induced lung cancer in 2020. The passage of this legislation is a critical step to help keep others in Iowa from having to unnecessarily suffer lung cancer and death. We urge Governor Reynolds to quickly sign this legislation into law.”

Under the Gail Orcutt School Radon Safety Act, radon testing needs to be completed by all Iowa public schools by 2027 and repeated at least once every 5 years. The law also requires all new school construction to incorporate radon-resistant construction techniques.