Radon Action Week and Radon Action Month in Vermont

Why fall and winter are a good time to start

The Vermont Department of Health recommends a long-term radon test of 3 to 12 months, ideally including a heating season, because radon levels change daily, weekly and seasonally.⁠² A long-term kit placed in the fall can run through a Vermont winter. The Health Department Lab sells that kit for $25.⁠³

A checklist for the month

• Haven’t tested? Order the Health Department Lab’s long-term kit and place it in the lowest lived-in level of your home.⁠^3,4 See How to test your home.
• Tested low before? Retest every five years, or sooner after significant changes to your home’s structure or mechanical systems.⁠²
• Have a radon system? Test every two years to make sure it’s still working.⁠² See Is my radon system working?
• On a private well or spring? Radon in water can add to the radon in your air; the Lab sells a radon in water kit for $25.⁠^5,3
• Got a result of 4.0 pCi/L or higher? The Health Department says to contact a certified radon mitigation contractor.⁠⁶ See Find a certified contractor.
• Landlord, school or child care program? See Radon in rentals and Radon in schools and child care.

Spreading the word

The EPA offers free materials for spreading awareness of radon’s health risks on its radon media resources page.⁠¹ Locally, you can share:

• Your town’s Health Department test results, on Radon test results for every Vermont town, and key findings from the statewide data.
• The free printable radon plan: test, read your result, fix, retest, on one sheet.

Questions? Call the Vermont Radon Program at 802-863-7220 or 800-439-8550 (toll-free in Vermont).⁠²