CLEVELAND — Families of students at Tremont Montessori School are uneasy after recent radon testing revealed elevated levels.
"I think they should shut the school down and approach the matter and let the kids go somewhere else," Kim Wright, whose two grandchildren attend the school, said. "Those little kids, you don't know what they can take on their lungs. It's dangerous."
The Cleveland Metropolitan School District confirms a gym and two storage rooms in the basement tested slightly higher than levels recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency. The school has closed those areas off, and is following a mitigation plan with more ventilation and retesting.
According to the EPA, radon is the leading cause of lung cancer for non-smokers.
"You test it, you find out the number, you do an intervention, the number goes down, and that will be the case with this school, as well," Cleveland Director of Public Health David Margolius remarked. "And so I think folks should feel reassured that the right steps are taking place."
Dr. Margolius says radon levels in Cuyahoga County are much lower than other parts of the state because of decreased uranium levels in the soil. Still, he encourages those in high-risk areas to test their homes and ask for schools to be tested.
"It is scentless, it is clear," he added. "You don't know until you get these test results."
He also detailed how prevalent lung cancer is in our community.
"Unfortunately, Cleveland has this incredibly high lung cancer rate because of our smoking rate," he explained. "Our smoking rate is one of the highest in the country at 35%, and that's our No. 1 priority is to reduce the smoking rate and help make it easier for people to quit."
However, a number of teachers 3News spoke to off camera remain skeptical and nervous about staying in the building, as they claimed multiple longtime staff members have been diagnosed with cancer.
"I'd like to see it be re-tested, for one, maybe by a different company, because I know my classroom windows weren't shut for days because my room's really hot," one teacher said anonymously. "I'm a little nervous about the results."
Both teachers and families agreed on how special the school is.
"They love this school; they’ve been going here for six, seven years," Wright said of her grandchildren "I wouldn't want the school to close. I just think they need to relocate and rent somewhere else until the situation gets better."
"The growth and the gains that I see from the kids there and the families compared to other places I've taught and the sense of community is just so wonderful," the teacher concurred. "Kids who might otherwise be excluded from learning are able to just be their true selves and learn in a good environment, and they're able to learn at an appropriate rate and not fall behind."