RMS-LB 2018 with 12/20 Revisions

ANSI/AARST RMS-LB 2018 (with 12/20 revisions) Introduction i RMS-LB 2018 with 12/20 revisions Radon Mitigation Standards for Schools and Large Buildings Scope Summary and Introduction This standard specifies practices, minimum requirements and general guidance for mitigation of radon in existing schools and large buildings, including both low-rise and high-rise schools and large buildings. The techniques addressed in this standard provide whole-building consideration yet also apply when implemented to portions of a building or individual occupied spaces. 12/20 Revisions for 2021 This publication is the first in a series of mitigation standards updates that seek to harmonizree and improve as many provisions as possible across ANSI/AARST SGM-SF, RMS-MF and RMS-LB. Substantive changes: Continuous maintenance efforts have resulted in harmonized updates for most provisions in Sections 6, 7 and 8 for active soil depressurization (ASD ) to read the same in RMS-LB (schools and large buildings), RMS- MF (multifamily buildings) and SGM-SF (existing homes). Editorial changes: Reconciliation for harmonized order of content, informational renderings and page layout. Significance of Purpose Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among nonsmokers and the second leading cause of lung cancer in the general population. 1 For most school children and staff, the second largest contributor to their radon exposure is likely to be their school. 2 Thousands of classrooms nationwide have elevated radon levels, needlessly exposing hundreds of thousands of students and staff to this serious health risk. 3 With similar implications, a correlation has been observed between radon levels in homes, and workplaces in the same area. 4 Radon in U.S. homes causes approximately 21,000 U.S. lung cancer deaths each year. 1 Be it at home, work or school, an individual’s exposure to radon gas combines over time to increase the risk of preventable lung cancer. This document contains minimum requirements and guidance designed to respond to the health threat in schools and large buildings. Historical Perspective In the 1950s, studies confirmed increased incidence of radon-induced lung cancer for workers in underground mines. In the 1980s, studies found that exposure to radon in homes can exceed exposures found in studies of mine workers. Since 1988, the Indoor Radon Abatement Act has authorized U.S. state and federal activities to reduce citizen risk of lung cancer caused by indoor radon concentrations. Since the early 1990s, USEPA has advised all U.S. schools to test for radon and to reduce levels to below 4 pCi/L. In 1999, with the publication of BEIR VI 1 , the National Academy of Sciences confirmed that any exposure to radon holds a degree of risk. In addition, the Academy’s BEIR VII committee stated that exposure to radiation, including any concentration of radon, carries risk. In 2009, the World Health Organization’s WHO Handbook on Indoor Radon confirmed the association between indoor radon exposure and lung cancer, even at the relatively low radon levels found in residential buildings. 5 Initiated in 2010, the U.S. Federal Radon Action Plan (FRAP), followed by the National Radon Action Plan (NRAP), has highlighted an ultimate public health goal of eliminating preventable radon-induced cancer. Designation: RMS-LB As used for catalogue identification, “RMS-LB” stands for Radon Mitigation Standards for Large Buildings. Normative References Referenced publications, including those delineated as normative, are found in Appendix A . 1 National Academy of Sciences, “Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation” (BEIR VI Report) 1999 2 USEPA, “Radon Measurement In Schools”, July 1993 (EPA-402-R-92-014) 3 USEPA, “Tools For Schools”, June 2010” 4 Silvia Bucci, Gabriele Pratesi, Maria Letizia Viti, Marta Pantani, Francesco Bochicchio and Gennaro Venoso, “Radon in workplaces: first results of an extensive survey and comparison with radon in homes”, 2011 5 World Health Organization, “WHO Handbook on Indoor Radon: A Public Health Perspective” 2009