Schuylkill County commissioners expect to hire a company on Wednesday to rout out radon at the courthouse. The work is expected to begin between April 9 and May 28.

County administrator Mark Scarbinsky, in an email sent Thursday to courthouse workers, said the building was checked for radon in January.Air Care & Restoration Co. Inc. of Bethlehem was then asked to test further and outline a plan to mitigate the radon.Radon is an odorless, colorless, naturally occurring gas linked to lung cancer.According to the memo from Scarbinsky, "Following an internal review of the initial test results, the county engaged Air Care & Restoration Co. Inc. to further evaluate the radon test results and to provide a plan of action."On Jan. 22, Air Care & Restoration Co, Inc. and Next Step Environmental Services LLC visited the courthouse to perform a physical review of the radon testing locations, review the basic structure of the building, and to plan for additional testing/diagnostics to determine the source, the entry mechanisms and driving forces causing the known elevated radon levels," Scarbinsky wrote.A mitigation proposal was given the county for review on Jan. 25. The building was evaluated between Feb. 3 and Feb. 5, with testing in 28 locations on three floors, "including sample location readings in nine ground-level locations," he wrote.The county received the test results on Feb. 10.The testing showed average results greater than 4.0 pCi/L (the amount the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says is the lowest safe level of radon) in seven areas of the basement level."Although there are a few areas indicating test results greater than 4.0 pCi/L, there are no levels greater than 9.6 pCi/L. These results although cause for concern do not create a work environment risk," Scarbinsky wrote.The county asked Air Care & Restoration, working with Next Step Environmental Services LLC, a state-licensed radon abatement company, for a proposal for abatement.The companies delivered the proposal on March 24.