Free Radon Kit

JR Minor

What Is Radon?

Radon is a colorless, odorless, radioactive gas. It forms naturally and is found in different level amounts in soil and rock throughout the world. Radon gas in the soil and rock can move into the air and into underground water and surface water. It concentrates more densely is smaller spaces such as small rooms or mobile homes depending on the location of the home. Radon has been found in homes all over the United States

How Dangerous Is Radon?

According to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), Radon is the number one cause of lung cancer among non-smokers in the United States. Radon is responsible for about 21,000 lung cancer deaths in the US every year! Thousands of deaths occur every year among people who have never smoked in their entire life! Back on January 13, 2005, Dr. Richard H. Carmona, the U.S. Surgeon General at that time, issued a nationalhealth advisory on radon. Shortly after, the WHO (World Health Organization) conducted it’s own International project. WorldHealth Organization's international radon project

How Do I Know I Have It?

Testing for radon is cheap and easy! If you rent your home, ask your landlord to test for you! You can test for radon yourself by purchasing a kit, or obtaining a Free Radon Test Kit from many State Health Programs. Not all States have free kits but you can check the map at the EPA Website (State Radon Test Kits). Click the Plus and enlarge the map with your mouse. Click the area you live in to see the contact information. Contact or click the resources there to see if your state offers Free or reduced cost kits. Many states do offer Free kits such as WV, SC, NC, CO, and many more. The kits are shipped to you Free and come with a Free shipping return label for lab testing!

Don’t be fooled by the Google ads stating “Free Test Kits”. These sites do have free kits but the lab results and shipping cost money! Kits from the State programs are Free or very cheap with lab fees included! – And often shipping fees too! –

Are These Kits Accurate?

There are 2 main types of radon test kits available.

Short-term tests take between 2 and 90 days.
Long-term tests take more than 90 days.

Consumer Reports did a review on the price and accuracy of many of these Radon Test Kits a few years back. Many of the short term kits varied in accuracy as much as 30%. However, there are many factors that affect the accuracy including where the kit is placed, humidity in the house, weather, temperature, etc. The long term kits give a more accurate reading because they test for longer periods and report an average of the results!

Where Can I Find A Test Kit?

Many State Health Programs offer Free Radon Test Kits. Visit the Environmental Protection Agency site and click on the map as mentioned above. Find your State and copy the resources on that link. Call the numbers or click the website for your state and order your kit there!

Other sources are as simple a going to Amazon, Home Depot, Lowes, or even Walmart and purchase a kit as low as $6.95 online! Be sure to read the fine print on these kits because many have separate lab testing and shipping fees attached!

What Is A Safe Level of Radon?

Radon is measured in picoCuries per liter (pCi/L); 1.3 is considered the national average indoor level. Although 4 pCi/L is the recommended EPA action level, the agency also suggests that you consider remediation at a level between 2 and 4 pCi/L.

Don’t go crazy if your test results is high! You are not going to get lung cancer immediately after you test! Radon gas has a long term exposure time and there are many ways to reduce the levels in your home without spending a lot of cash!

How Can I Reduce Reduce Radon Levels?

Click the links below to help you find ways to reduce the Radon levels in your home. The information is too vast to cover in this small post. I found that adding a few of the simpler solutions worked fine for me and I live in a higher than normal Radon area!

Tips on Reducing Radon levels

Reducing Radon Mitigation