How to Test Your Home for Radon Poisoning

Radon is a radioactive gas that can cause cancer. It is found all over the United States. The EPA and the Surgeon General recommend testing in all schools and homes. Fixing radon problems is not too expensive, and new homes can be built with radon-resistant construction features. Radon occurs naturally from uranium and is present in most soils. There are two tests that are used for radon, a short-term and a long-term test, and you can have a professional do it or run the test by yourself.

Things You'll Need

• Short-term test kit
• Long-term test kits

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Instructions

• 1

  Choose a qualified tester from your state's list of radon contractors. The contractor will do a short-term or a long-term test and send results to you and the state upon completion.

• 2

  Purchase a short-term test kit from a home improvement store or online specialty retailer. Commonly used kits include charcoal canisters, alpha track, electret ion chamber, continuous monitors, and charcoal liquid scintillation. Follow the instructions in the kit. Turn off fans and all sources of air during the test period. Do not test during severe storm periods.

• 3

  Run the test on the lowest level of the home, usually a basement or first floor. Place the test kit in a regularly used room but not the kitchen or a bathroom. Place the kit above the floor away from drafts, high heat, humidity, and outer walls. Leave kit undisturbed for the duration of the test. The short-term test will be completed in two to three days, and laboratory results will follow in a few weeks. If the results of the short term test are 4 pCi/L (pico Curies per liter) or greater, take a second test to verify results.

• 4

  Conduct a long-term radon test. Long-term kits take 90 days or more to test and a few weeks for laboratory results, but they are more accurate than short-term tests. Follow the same procedures as described for the short-term test to conduct a long-term test. Commonly used kits include alpha track and electret detectors. Long-term kits give a reading that is much more likely to indicate the year-round average radon level for your home.

• 5

  If you run a second short-term test and the results are higher than the first test or the average of both tests is 4 pCi/L or greater, fix the problem immediately. If your second test was a long-term test and the results were 4 pCi/L or more, fix the problem immediately.