Ohio state lawmakers will consider new legislation meant to better safeguard Ohioans from an invisible killer lurking in their homes and schools.
House Bill 820 was introduced Monday by Rep. Kellie Deeter, R-Norwalk. The bill, crafted in response to a Dispatch investigation into radon failures across Ohio, aims to gauge exposure to the toxic gas in schools and remediate for it in homes across the state.
Radon, a naturally occurring gas that seeps into buildings from the basements and concrete slabs beneath them, is the leading cause of lung cancer among nonsmokers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It has also been linked to leukemia, stroke, heart attacks and dementia, research shows.
H.B. 820 would require radon testing in schools and provide $14 million to help districts do so, according to the bill. It would also offer home owners a tax credit toward a radon mitigation system that matches the cost of system or $2,000 —whichever is less.
Parents and students deserve to know if they’re being exposed to the gas, Deeter told The Dispatch in March.
“Their lungs are still developing and have a longer lifetime exposure window,” she said. “These exposures may go unnoticed for years.”
Ohio is behind other states when it comes to radon testing and mitigation efforts, The Dispatch’s “Invisible Killer” investigation found.
At least 11 states require radon testing in schools and 13 require testing be performed in day cares. Ohio is not one of them.
Since 1993, Ohio has required home sellers notify potential buyers of previous radon testing results in their house. Ohio offers no protection for renters, however, as the state fails to require landlords to notify tenants of previous radon test results.
Many Ohioans only learn of radon if they buy a home, despite the fact that the gas can pose a danger in any building, including rentals, offices, schools and businesses.
Buildings in each of Ohio’s 88 counties have tested positive for dangerous levels of the radioactive gas. And homes in Newark’s 43055 ZIP code have the highest concentration of radon in the nation, a 2025 Harvard University study found.
The Dispatch’s own testing found radon near or above dangerous levels throughout the region, including in some of the wealthiest neighborhoods, in public housing and in rural areas. Fifty-four of 68 homes tested, or 79.4%, returned results for radon above the EPA’s remediation threshold of 4 picocuries per liter.
Dispatch investigative reporter Max Filby can be reached by email at mfilby@dispatch.com. Find him on X at the handle @MaxFilby or on Facebook at @ReporterMaxFilby.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Radon testing would be required in schools under new bill in Ohio House
Reporting by Max Filby, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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