Schools across the district will undergo radon gas testing in the fall.
District 57 pulled $32,000 from its surplus to pay for the kits, which will go to all active and closed schools and the administrative building.
The district will distribute the kits in August and collect them in December, when the cooler temperatures make for clearer readings of results.
The education services committee acted upon recommendations presented to the board in May 2015 by Dennis Fudge, a meteorologist and Spruceland PAC member at the time.
"We have taken his suggestions quite seriously," said trustee Sharel Warrington, who serves on the committee. "The most important thing is we do the radon testing."
A January 2015 report from the BC Lung Association found that on average one in three Prince George homes tested above Health Canada's suggested safety threshold for radon. The Prince George Project gave kits to 2,000 houses across four postal codes. Three quarters submitted those tests, of which 29 per cent reported high radon levels.
Radon is the second leading cause for lung cancer, the association said.
"Outside, radon quickly dilutes to safe levels, but when trapped inside can build up to high levels and, over time, may cause lung cancer. The only way to know if you have a problem is to test. One house can have low levels of radon while the house right next door can be very high," said association CEO Scott McDonald in the 2015 release.
For buildings that show high levels of radon, it can be reduced through by installing an Active Radon Reduction System, which draws the gas beneath the building and vents it outside the home. Costs for this solution range between $500 and $3,000.
