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 ~
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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
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