Monmouth County's Ask the Doctor September-October 2021

Test Your Home for Radon: Quick Tips

Radon is a natural radioactive gas that you can’t see, smell, or taste. There is usually very little radon in the air outside, but sometimes an unsafe level of radon can build up indoors. Breathing in too much radon over time can cause lung cancer, especially if you smoke.If you are breath- ing in too much radon, you won’t feel sick or have any symptoms right away. Testing your home is the only way to know if there’s a radon problem. Testing your home for radon is easy and doesn't cost very much. You can test for radon yourself or hire a professional to do it for you. If you rent your home, ask your landlord to get it tested. There are 2 main types of radon test kits. Short-term tests take be- tween 2 and 90 days. Long-term tests take more than 90 days. Start with a short-term test. Test for radon in the lowest level of your home that people spend time in. If you use part of your basement for living space, like a playroom, test there. If you only use your basement for storage, test the ground floor. You can buy test kits at home improvement or hardware stores. To order a test kit over the phone, call the National Radon Hotline at 1-800-SOS-RADON (1-800-767-7236). If your home has a radon level of 4 or higher, it’s time to take action. There is no safe level of radon, so you may still want to fix your home if the radon level is between 2 and 4. Test your home again if the radon level is 4 or higher. If your home has a radon level of 4 or higher, fix your home. If 2 radon test kits show that the ra- don level in your home is 4 or higher, make a plan to fix your home. You may also want to take action if the radon level is between 2 and 4. Be sure to hire a contractor who is qualified to fix radon. It’s a good idea to get at least 2 price estimates. For help finding a contractor or your state radon office, visit http://www.epa.gov/ra- don/whereyoulive.html. For help finding a radon test kit, visit http:// www.epa.gov/radon/radontest.html.

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ASK THE DOCTOR

FALL 2021

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