By Shay Lelonek / Asst. News Director

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — U.S. Senator Tina Smith, a member of the Senate Health and Education Committee, introduced new legislation to remove toxic substances from school buildings across the country.

The Get Toxic Substances Out of Schools act directly follows a report from the Minnesota Department of Health that found less than half of public schools in the state were tested for radon between 2018 and 2020.

Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer and occurs more frequently in Minnesota due to that state’s geology.

The new legislation would provide funding for monitoring and cleaning up hazardous substances found in schools, such as radon.

Two out of five Minnesota homes tested to have high radon levels, and the only way to measure radon risks in schools is to test.

Schools with high radon levels can install a mitigation system or make repairs to heating and cooling systems to mitigate risk to students and staff. This bill will help make those improvements.