Connecticut Department of Public Health - Radon Testing at GCI, Department of Correction, 2014
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Garner Correction Institution Deputy Warden Denise Dilworth Connecticut Department of Correction TO: FROM: DATE: RE: " Roll Call Deputy Warden Denise Dilworth May 2~ 2014 Draft Design for Garner ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• The Director of Facilities Management and Engineering, Stephen Link, has received the draft remediation design for Garner and they are reviewing It and corresponding with the consultant with comments/questions. At this time it is not ready to use for bidding however they are working as fast as possible to bring it to that point. They should be able to achieve this next week. The process once they have an acceptable design is: • Choose a contractor and based on the design and walk-through get an estimate/bid • Send an emergency project request with design and estimate to DOS for approval • Once they receive approval a PO can be issued to the contractor They will expedite all phases as much as possible whlle making sure we get a good product/project. c: Warden Henry Falcone Deputy Warden Hein AH Captains/Counselor Supervisors/Lieutenants/Unit Managers/Department Heade 90(1 / 90 ~ j ££9l0lZ£0Z8 > ¥~ ~p oL PL0~/9u/~O STATE OF CONNECTICUT 0£.PARTMENT OP PUBLIC HEALTH ,~.~~ Jewel Mullen, M.D., M.P.H., M.P.A. CommLuk1ncr • Dmnel P. Malloy Gavcrnoc Nancy Wyman lt. Gove.mot Environmental Health Section Radon Program January 27t 2014 Richard Peas~ Depertme~t of Corr~ction (DOC) 24 Wolcott Hill Road Wethersfield, CT 06109 Dear Mr. Pe.?.se: The Department of Public Health Radon Pro grain has performed radon in air testing at the Garner Correctional Institution (GCI) at 50 Nunnawauk Road in Nev.1own, CT. Specifically: the Radon Program conducted initial testing for radon in air from December 11-17, 2013 and followup/confirm,atory testing from January 13-16: 2014. A letter was distributed to all GCI staff on December 3, 2013 for notification purposes oflhe radon testing event (See Attachment A). Air testing was conducted in Bil frequently occupied school rooms under "closed building conditions':, during the weekday period of the colder months of the year~ with the building occupied, and the heating,•ventilation, aod air-conditioning (HVAC) systems operating nonnally. Testing was conducted using AirChek, 3-7 day, activated, charcoal tests z:na..4ufactured by AirChek, Inc. These tests contain no metal perts and are degigned to resemble an envelope that includes a small amount of activated charcoal and a sinall reeta..ttgular piece of porous foam in the iru'ler envelope and a small plastic hook atte.ched to the outer envelope. Testing included the use ofblw (Rm IDs 2001B-2005B &1001B-1004B), duplicate (Associated room ID followed by a-10 or ..2D), and spiked (Room IDs 1001Sw1004S) tests as part of the Quality Assurance/Quality Con1rol (QA/QC) plan and conducted in accordance with the United States Env·iromnental Protection Agency (EPA) and State of Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) protocols. No QA/QC issues were identified that required further investigation. Test placement and retrieval was completed by DPH staff, Allison St.<!liYan and LYM Hudak, who were approved by the DOC Security Division and authorized to visit the DOC facilities (see A~w.chment B). All radon tests were analyzed by AirChek, Inc. of :YfiUs River, North Carolina aud the QA/QC spiked samples were exposed for 3 days in a radon cha.'llber at Bowser-Momer, Inc. of Dayton, Ohio. All radon test reports C·a.i be found in Attachment C of the report. ~cnno~.'(~t eee•f'11"•t"I e~ i'J,'llc t'u::n Phcne: (860) 509-8()00 •Fax: (860) 509-7184 •VP: (860) 899-1611 410 Ce.pitcl Avenue, P.O. Box 34030S Hartford. Connecticut 06134-0308 wv.w.ct.gov.ldph .{.61rr1ariv~ Action/Equal Oppo1·tuni1;. Ernp!owr Radon concentrations at and above 4.0 pCi/L were found in some locations at GCI during the initial testing in December, 2013. Follow-up testing was conducted at GCI to confirm these elevated radon levels in January, 2014. Out of.l11 test locations at this facility, 58 test locations had radon levels at or above the EPA Action Level of 4.0 pCi/L at which mitigation is recommended. Radon mitigation by a qualified Radon Mitigation Professional is recommended for the loca:ions listed in the follO\.\'ing te.ble. 7060 70i Chi! el Fo er 70aB 806 Classroom 3 807 Classroom 2 8126 829B 830A 834 235 838 939 5.9 4.S 4 4.5 4.7 4.4 4.8/3.6 6.4 4.2 3.9 4.S 4.3 3.5/S.S . I 5.S 4.9 860 Gym Offic~ G m·WD Front Gm-WC 5.S 1 · 5 s.s S.B B.3 7.9 I 5.2 5.2 I 4 4.7 4 .6 4 4.4 5.1 4.4 4.8 4.9 s 4.S I 4,3 4 .3 4.3 4.2 4 .9 3.9 SS3A 11.l 7.0/7.0 4.2 4.2/4.1 3.4 4.2 5.2 5.3 sso 108 Rec: 109 Rec 4.4 3.a 3.7 4.S j I 4.4 S.1 107A 4.2 4.7 4.G s .2 4.S G m-WO Back 104 Admini!tration 4.7 3.8 842 849 s.a 4.S I s.s S4iA 5.6 4.8/5.2 4.7 840 843 844 5.2 5.1 7.3 6.1 6.2 5.4 5 4.6 9.3 6.3 7.S 7.1 5.1 3.9 I 6.4 ' 5.4 9.5/9.S 8.5 8.6 8.7 6 S.6 10.S 7.8 8.5 8.3 ! 115 Visitor Station 1i7A Rec· Raar 119A Conference Room 8.1 9.3 6.9 7.7 7.3 7.1 9.1 10.1 S.4 e .7 120 Loun2e a.4 124 Rec 7.8 B.1 6.9 s B.l S.9 8.6 12BA Work Room 1S6A Weight Room 163 Phone Room 165 176 306 Medical 308 Medical 313 Laboratory 314 Pharmacy 316 Medic•I 317 Medical 318 Medleal 322 Medical 325 Medical 326 Medical 327 Medlcal 328 Medical 330 Denta l 331 Medical 333 Medical 334 Medical Re<:orcfs Area-WA Records Area ~wc ' ' i 9.3 7.4 s.s 7.9 8.8 8.2 7.S/8.3 9.S 20.6 S.2 B.3 11.s lS.S/18.9 16.8 10.7 19.8 16.3 19.3 19 18.3 17.2 18.8 19.1 16.3 15.9 15.7 20 15.7 19.3/20.3 21.s 21.4 20.2 17.3 18.3 15.8 18.7 22.1 17.3 17.7 21.9 17.4 15.9 13.6 21.1 19.5 23.8 23 .7 21.9/20.9 18 7.2 6.7 17 9.8 8.6 21 16.9 15.9 14.7 20.6 17.6 22.l 22.6 21.7 17.5 s.s 7.7 The. most up-to-date list of Radon 1'.:fitigation Professionals can be found at the follo\\.ing addre.9s: \VW\V.ct.gov/dph/radon. A hard copy of the list only considered up-to-date e.s of the date of this report ls provided in Attachment D. It is also recom.·uended that the following rooms be considered for mitigation because even tbough the aver~ge was not at or above 4.0 pCi/L, either the initial or follow-up result was at nee.r 4.0 pCi/L. These locations include: Cl36. D 120 Mental Health, 0136 Nurse, and Fl 36 Nurse. In summary, at least _a locations in the facility should be addressed in the radon mitigation plan designed by a qualified r3Jion mitigation contractor not including the lQ schoo1 rooms that wen~ previously identified as having radon levels at or above 4.0 pCi!L. Therefore, a total of 68 loca1ions were found to have eleva~ed levels ofradon in air. Once reduced, these rooms should ... t• 'j!11 ·let be tested to elisure that the mitigation system is effective end then re-evaluated every 2.5 years to ensure the mitigation system is working properly as en important part of system maintenance. me If you have any que9tions or concerns, do not hesitate to contact to discuss any aspect of the: radon testing activities. I am happy the Radon Program was able lo assist you in the radon testing efforts to promote a healthy environment for OCI residents and staff. Sincerely, anOIJ 0 '-'i:::l Allison Prny Environmental Anelyst 3 Radon Program P.J.U.D.E at Work, M11y 8, 2014 - .June 13, 1014 Png~ 5 Did You Know? "Did 1011 Know" Is an t11/ormational column aimed at Increasing yout k11owJedge of i-ssues in our everyday /Ives. Tlils article was compiled by Public Information O/]tcet Andrlus Banevicius. Any questlo11s related to tlrls article may be answered hy contacting him at860-692-7780. Ifyou have any questions, or have an Idea for a future column, please leave a message at 860-692-7780. Radon Mitigation Recently, as a result of some routine mandated testing within our correctional facilities, the Gamer Correctional Institution was found to have increased levels of radon. This discovery prompted our a.gency to partner with the Department of Public Health (DPH) to fonnulate an action plan. Before delving into the details of the plan, it might help to know a little bit about radon. Anyone who hes purchased a home since 1984 has probably had a radon test done during the buying process. Radon is an odorless, invisible~ radioactive gas that is found in varying amounts in the earth. Radon is found in all 50 states and about 1 out of 15 homes in the U.S. have high levels of radon. Prolonged exposure to high levels of the gas has been linked to lung cancer. Radon can enter indoor nir environments through structural spaces, cracks and pores in the floors and walls. Radon is the he2viest known gas, nine times heavier than air - this is why the highest concentrations of radon are typically found in a building's basement. Current Environmental Protection Agency guidelines suggest that action be taken if the radon level in any occupied pa.rt of a building reaches or exceeds 4 pCi/L. Radon is measured in picocuries per liter of air (pCi/L). To Utlderstand the relative amounts ;·ou may be exposed to, the average indoor level is 1.3 pCi!L, and about 0.4 pCi/L is nonnally found in the outside air. The DPH has determined that the levels ofradon found at Gamer CI do not require evacuation; instead they recommended that a mitigation system be installed. The system typically involves the installation of a venting system that draws the radon gas from the ground beneath the building~ and exhausts it above the roofline where it is quickly diluted. A design consultant and licensed contractors have been secured and the remediation process is in motion. Locations that previous!>· tested for elevated levels of radon will be re-tested after the mitigation system is installed to ensure the system is reducing radon levels as intended. The Depaninent is committed to keeping its employees informed as we move forward with collaboration between the Garner administration, Engineering, Human Resources, DPH and union officials. If you have any questions or concerns surrounding this process~ a complete report of the radon test results is available for re...·iew in the Administrative Office (room 104) of the Gamer Correctional Institution. You also have the abilit omplete a WC207 packase. The following link to the DPH website provides additional inti hll ; / ,"W\VW.Ct.'OVI ""' 4 1\· 'l :;;;)828. I