At a time when most of his classmates were worrying about applying for college, Brian Yang was worrying about whether his fellow students were being exposed to an odorless, colorless gas that’s been tied to cancer.
In December, Yang, 18, a student at Moravian Academy, published a research paper in the Journal of the American Medical Association Network Open. Titled “Estimated Radon Exposure in Eastern Pennsylvania Schools,” it estimates that children and faculty at many schools in the Lehigh Valley may be exposed to elevated levels of radon gas and therefore heightened levels of radiation.
In response to his study, some Lehigh Valley school districts have pledged to test for radon in the near future to ensure the air in their schools is safe. Others said previous tests showed no issues in their buildings…