Air Force Base Neglects Hazardous Material Near Day Care for Over a Year
Radon levels at the daycare center of a Missouri Air Force base have remained elevated for more than a year without any action.
Two rooms at the Whiteman Air Force Base’s daycare facility were found to exceed safe levels, according to Fox News.
A memo from the leadership of the 509th Bomb Wing said that June 2022 radon gas testing showed readings that were not at acceptable levels “but were not acted upon.”
“We are reviewing internal records and working with our partners at USAFSAM to determine how this breakdown occurred,” the memo said, referring to the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine.
The memo said the toddler room at the center had a reading of 6.33 WML/year, which stands for working level month per year. The baby room had a reading of 1.24 WLM/year. The exposure limit is 0.8 WLM/year.
In an effort to make up for lost time, base personnel will conduct further testing and close the two rooms.
The memo said that the Environmental Protecting Agency for be contacted to inform the base about “swift and complete mitigation techniques.”
Children who were exposed can be examined and tested, the memo said.
“Although we are taking this matter seriously and making every effort to ensure mitigation of the existing actionable levels, your child’s risk of developing lung cancer as a result of the exposure at the Child Development Center is significantly less than 1 percent,” the memo continued.
An Air Force statement said the base is “reviewing internal records and working with our partners at USAFSAM to determine how” it failed to take action.
“It goes without saying that we take this seriously and we are implementing steps to ensure the safety of children and workers at the site while our bioenvironmental engineers conduct a thorough assessment and determine what level of radon is present and what mitigation steps are appropriate,” the statement said.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, citing data from the EPA, noted more than 21,000 lung cancer deaths per year are linked to radon exposure.
“Radon can get into homes or buildings through small cracks or holes and build up to higher levels. Over time, breathing in high radon levels can cause lung cancer,” the CDC warned.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among men and women in the U.S. We can prevent lung cancer by refraining from smoking, avoiding secondhand smoke, and getting our homes tested for radon. Learn more at https://t.co/Fd5LXxHCa9. @cdcgov pic.twitter.com/Z3J27DXDV9
— HHS.gov (@HHSGov) October 13, 2023
“Radon can get into homes or buildings through small cracks or holes and build up to higher levels. Over time, breathing in high radon levels can cause lung cancer,” it wrote.
“A child’s different lung shape, size, and breathing rates as compared with adults means higher estimated radiation doses,” the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry wrote.
“Risk of lung cancer in children resulting from exposure to radon may be almost twice as high as the risk to adults exposed to the same amount of radon,” it wrote.
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