How We Test For Radon
November 3, 2016

How We Test For Radon

Since radon is an odorless and tasteless gas, your home has to be tested in order to verify whether your home has a safe level of radon or whether steps need to be taken to make your home safe again. But what does that all mean? What does the Radon Crew do?

Not many understand how we test and protect homes from radon, or even understand what radon is, so here’s a short synopsis: radon is a harmful gas that is the second leading cause for lung cancer according to the U.S. surgeon general. We breathe in radon every day, but excessive amounts is unsafe for our health. It’s measured in picocuries. If radon levels measure above four picocuries per liter (4 pCi/L), a radon mitigation system should be installed in your home. Radon levels vary over time depending on things such as temperature, rainfall and barometric pressure, so we offer both short- and long-term tests.

A short-term test uses an open face charcoal canister and has 48-96 hours of exposure time. Gamma radiation from contents absorbed onto the charcoal causes a light signal, with is counted and analyzed in a lab.

The long-term test is an alpha track radon test and has 91-365 days of exposure time. The strip used is sealed and sent to a lab for analysis.

We strive to make this process to be as simple and stress-free as possible for you, so call the crew at 605-336-1000 or email sam@radoncrew.com to schedule a test of your home.

Radon Crew—Crew In. Radon Out.