PORT HUENEME : Base to Drop Tests to Detect Radon Gas
Radon testing at the Construction Battalion Center in Port Hueneme has been discontinued because only low levels of the harmful gas were detected in an initial check, Navy officials said Friday.
The colorless, odorless gas is a naturally occurring product of decaying uranium in the earth and is said to cause lung cancer after long exposure. However, only minimal levels were identified during a 90-day test of child-care centers and selected family housing on the base, officials said.
The levels found by the Navy were not available late Friday afternoon.
At Navy installations, elevated radon readings will be corrected according to a priority listing based on federal Environmental Protection Agency guidelines.
The EPA considers a radon level of 4 picocuries per liter or less to be low-risk. Buildings with concentrations greater than 200 picocuries must receive corrective action within several weeks.
Those with more than 20 but less than 200 must be corrected in no more than six months.
Buildings with more than 4 but less than 20 picocuries per liter must be corrected within five years, officials said.
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