How to Test Your Home for Radon

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Radon exposure can cause serious health problems. After cigarette smoking, radon is the No. 1 cause of lung cancer. The good news is that you can detect radon in your home and remove it with relative ease, just follow these tips...

Know that you must find the measurement of radon in your home. The first thing to know is that radon is measured in picocuries per liter )PCi/L). The national average indoor level is 1.3. Anything above 2, the EPA suggests remediation. Above 4 is the recommended level to take action.

Figure out your risk. While most states have areas that are higher risk than others, radon levels vary from home to home. The only way to determine radon levels in your house, for sure, is to test it with a radon test kit.

Lucklily, radon test kits are fairly accurate and not that expensive. Go with a long-term kit for better accuracy. These kits take sampling levels for 90 days or more and will give you a better reading on average radon levels than a short-term radon testing kit. An accurate long-term radon testing kit of quality can be found above.

A radon removal kit can cut levels to below 2PCi/L. They run from $800 up to $2,500. For an average house, the cost is about $1,200. Check with the EPA to find a trained pro in your area at www.epa.gov/radon.