New Hampshire Radon Program Offers Free Radon Test Kits
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas. It has no smell, color or taste, and is produced from the natural radioactive decay of uranium in rocks and soil. Radon can also be found in water. Radon can enter homes through the foundation, or for those with private wells, through sinks, showers and toilets.
Indoor radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. Breathing and drinking radon that may be in well water, will increase the risk of certain cancers (e.g., lung and stomach).
Testing for radon is the only way of knowing whether it is present in your home. It doesn’t matter if your house is old or new or where it is located.
To learn more about radon occurrence in New Hampshire visit:
- Radon in New Hampshire. Test. Fix. Save a Life. to see maps, graphics and stats.
- The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services Data Portal to view testing data by county. If you have questions about navigating the data dashboard, contact the Environmental Public Health Tracking Section at epht.information@dhhs.nh.gov.
The good news is testing your home for radon in air is easy and FREE, and you can fix the problem if high levels of radon are detected. Watch this instructional video, How to Test Your Home for Radon, to learn more. Order a free test kit.
The U.S. EPA recommends taking action to reduce radon in homes that have an airborne radon level of 4 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) or higher. See the New Hampshire Radon Program fact sheet on radon mitigation resources.
If a home has a private well, testing the water for radon is recommended. Although the health risk from radon in water is much lower than radon in air, some wells in New Hampshire have such high levels of radon in water that there is a health risk of lung cancer from the radon that is released from the water into the air. Research suggests that there is also a risk of stomach cancer from drinking water with high radon levels. The New Hampshire Public Health Laboratories Water Analysis Laboratory in Concord performs radon in water testing and test containers can be ordered through the Public Health Laboratory. You can find information on how to test your water and interpret the results on the NHDES private well testing page.
The Radon Program promotes initiatives to increase awareness of and reduce risk of radon in New Hampshire schools. The program is currently sponsoring an online training for school facility managers, titled “Conducting Radon Surveys in Schools," from the Center for Environmental Research and Technology, Inc.. This training helps participants understand best practices for setting up a screening test for radon in an entire school facility. Some topics covered in the training include the various types of test kits available, common issues with testing, and guidance on drafting testing and communication plans. The Radon Program can also loan out continuous radon monitors for pilot testing with schools and municipalities and can support follow-up investigations where high levels of radon are found in certain locations in a facility.
The program also runs an annual poster contest for grades 5-8 to promote the free test kits and increase radon awareness. This year’s contest received 70 entries. The winning New Hampshire artwork was entered into the National Radon Poster contest. Additionally, the program engages schools by offering curriculum for 5th and 7th grade students.
The Radon Program receives funding from the U.S. EPA through the State and Tribal Indoor Radon Grant (SIRG) Program and the Division of Public Health Services Radiological Health Section. The grant assists the state with increasing radon awareness, encouraging radon testing and mitigation, and promoting adoption of radon-resistant building techniques.
For more information on radon, contact Program Manager Mary Butow, at mary.e.butow@dhhs.nh.gov or (603) 271-1708.