Testing Homes for Radon

The EPA is celebrating National Radon Action Month in January. Their site has lots of good information if you want to browse. Radon in homes can be very dangerous, even leading to lung cancer, but testing is very easy and sometimes free to do.

A few years ago I ordered a free radon test through the EPA and tested our home. Now that we’re moving, I want to do the same thing for our new home, especially after seeing the radon map at right of radon risk in New Jersey. I believe the extent of what I had to do was to open a box, place the test in the location as instructed by the included directions, and send the test back a few days later.

Testing this time will not be so easy, unfortunately. The tests and testing are controlled by local EPA offices, and the office that handled my testing a few years ago for our North Carolina is not the same one whose website I explored trying to get a test now for the New Jersey house. Since I am renting our current house rather than owning it, there are restrictions on my testing the home. A licensed company or individual has to be the one to test it. I am looking into what all is required for that, but testing still shouldn’t be expensive (hopefully).

If you don’t live in New Jersey, you can order kits for as little as $15, if your local EPA office isn’t giving them away for free. Use this page to find your local office and see if they’re giving kits away like my local office was a few years ago. I really appreciate that the EPA offers these kinds of programs. Please take advantage of them and ensure that your own home is healthy.