BATTLE MOUNTAIN — January is National Radon Action Month and Cooperative Extension in Lander County will again offer FREE short-term radon test kits during the months of January and February 2018. Testing is the only way to know if life-threatening levels of radon are present in homes and workplaces.
In Nevada, one in four homes tested show radon concentrations at or above the EPA action level. According to experts, living in a home with radon concentrations at the action level poses a risk of developing lung cancer similar to the risk posed by smoking about half a pack of cigarettes a day. Radon measurement describes how much radioactivity from radon is in one liter of the air found in a home or workspace. EPA and the U.S. Surgeon General strongly recommend that you fix your home or workspace if test results show presence of 4 pCi/l or more of radon.
Lander County residents can pick up a free test kit for detecting the poisonous, cancer-causing Radon gas at the Extension office located at 815 N. 2nd Street in Battle Mountain from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the next two months. Radon test kits will cost $10 after Feb. 28, 2018.
The test is simple — just requiring opening and placing a test kit in a living, sleeping, or workspace for a three-day period. The kit also contains instructions, a postage-paid return mailer, and laboratory analysis (usually received within one to three weeks). Kits are also available by mail or from Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/short-term-radon-test-kit-3-day-kit-tickets-29634644018. However, additional fees related to both options may be charged.
EPA and the U.S. Surgeon General strongly recommend that you fix your home if you have 4 pCi/l or more of radon in your home. For further information including mitigation, visit https://www.unce.unr.edu/programs/sites/radon/mitigation/ or call Lander County Extension at (775) 635-5565.
