$5 radon tests this Thursday at Sharon Township Hall

Every residence in Washtenaw County needs to be checked for radon

by Sara Swanson

January is National Radon Action Month, meaning it is the perfect time to find out if there is radon in your home. This Thursday between 9am and noon, radon tests will be available at Sharon Township Hall, located at 18010 Pleasant Lake Rd, for $5 each.

What is radon? Radon is a radioactive gas that may be in your home. You can’t see it, smell it, or taste it. Radon is naturally formed in soil and rock. It moves through the ground and enters your home through cracks, sump pump pits, crawl spaces, and other holes in the foundation. Your home traps the radon inside, where it can build up to unsafe levels.

Radon is the #1 cause of lung cancer for non-smokers in the United States. Radon is associated with over 20,000 lung cancer deaths each year in the U.S. alone. Any home could have a radon problem. New and old homes, well-sealed and drafty homes, and homes with or without basements could all have radon.

Over 40% of homes in Washtenaw County are estimated to be above the EPA’s 4.0 pCi/L radon action level. All homes in Washtenaw County should be tested for radon but of all of the parts of the county, Manchester-area residences have the highest average radon levels in the county. The only way to know your home’s radon level is to test.

If you can’t make it to Sharon Township Hall this Thursday, the next closest location for tests is Washtenaw County Environmental Health Division located in the Western Washtenaw County Service Center at 705 N Zeeb Rd, Ann Arbor, between the hours of 8:30am and 3pm, Monday through Friday. Or purchase a radon test kit online for $12.95 at http://mi.radon.com. This price includes shipping to your home, shipping to the lab, and laboratory analysis. These are the same test kits that are distributed at the locations listed above.

Radon test kits will be $5 at Sharon Township Hall and the Zeeb Road location through the end of January and then will continue to be available but at the regular price of $10 each. Price includes shipping to the lab and laboratory analysis.

Questions about radon test kits available at Sharon Township Hall? Call (734) 428-7591. For questions about radon tests from Washtenaw County Environmental Health Division, email Angela Parsons at parsonsa@washtenaw.org or call (734) 222-3800. For more information about radon in Washtenaw County, visit https://www.washtenaw.org/1842/Radon

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.