• By Todd Luck
• Posted Wednesday, January 15, 2020

State is offering free radon test kits

The state is giving away 3,000 free radon testing kits for National Radon Action Month.

Radon is a colorless, odorless 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 20,000 deaths annually.

Residents can order a free short-term Radon Test Kit at ncradon.org with a limit of one kit per household. These kits are being provided by the Environmental Protection Agency and are being distributed by the NC Radon Program.

Short-term test kits are available year-round from Forsyth County Environmental Assistance and Protection (EAP) for $6 at its office in the Forsyth County Government Center, 799 N. Chestnut Ave. The staff there can help people understand how to use the kits and how to interpret the results.

Forsyth County EAP Director Minor Barnette said that elevated levels of radon have been found in many homes in the county.

“Of the last approximately 2,200 tests that we helped facilitate, 39 percent of them found levels in resident’s homes that are above the action level, that means we recommended they take action to protect themselves and their families from breathing those elevated levels,” 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.