• By Todd Luck
• Posted Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Free radon test kits available

The county is distributing 100 free radon testing kits to the public.

Radon is a gas that can build up in homes and buildings. It’s the leading cause of lung cancer among nonsmokers in the United States, resulting in about 21,000 deaths a year.

“Because radon is a colorless and odorless, a simple test is necessary to determine the level of radon inside a home,” said Minor Barnette, Environmental Assistance and Protection (EAP) director.

The kits are available at:

The county received the kits come from the NC Radon Program for National Radon Action Month. Short-term test kits are available year-round from EAP for $6, along with long-term kits for $14. The staff there can help people understand how to use the kits and how to interpret the results. EAP has helped residents carryout over 2,000 indoor radon tests in Forsyth County, with 39 percent of them indicating a need for remediation.

“If radon is accumulating inside a home, the remedy is usually straightforward and typically involves actively venting it from inside the living space, basement or crawl space into the outdoors,” said Barnette.

The cost of lowering radon levels in a home is typically $1,500 but financial assistance is offered through the NC Radon Program.

For more information about radon and the NC Radon Program, visit www.ncradon.org.