The MSU Radon Project is committed to providing the highest quality Radon Screening Tests in southern Minnesota. To achieve this, certain quality standards must be met. Each and every test conducted by the MSU Radon Project measurement providers is completed according to the EPA Radon Measurement Protocols.
In the summer of 2002 MSU Radon Project collaborated with Brown/Nicollet county to develop a radon database for their clients in the surrounding counties. Brown/Nicollet county offices have given out over 3,000 test results in the last two years.
None of these results were stored digitally. The test information needed to be typed manually into a database. The focus of this Project was to develop a database for Brown/Nicollet county to further analyze trends and attributes of different radon levels in southern Minnesota. Due to the number of test collected by Brown/Nicollet the MSU Radon Project has only entered in about one fourth of the tested houses.
The above maps represent current test points entered in the Brown/Nicollet database by the MSU Radon Project. These points are not spatially accurate and do not reflect exact data points of Radon levels for the returned client.
Each clients results remains confidential.
Radon is a cancer causing radioactive gas commonly found in various concentrations throughout the Midwest, especially in the South Central Minnesota area. Radon is a product of the breakdown of uranium found in soils and rocks. Minnesota soils are rich with uranium due to past glacial deposition about 10,000 years ago. See Map The arrowhead of Minnesota tends to be less of a radon threat area because the iron ore in the soils acts as a cap, or lid, to prevent radon from diffusing from the soil. You cannot see, smell or taste radon, and thus if it were not tested for it may be a problem in your home. When you breathe air containing radon, you increase your risk of getting lung cancer. The Surgeon General has warned that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States today. If you smoke and your home has high radon levels, your risk of lung cancer is significantly increased.
Your house acts as a vacuum, whether you are using a bathroom fan or kitchen fan, or even heating your house during the winter months. Radon is brought in through cracks in the floor or walls. It is normally most concentrated in the lowest level of the home and decreases with height, however inversions of radon levels are not impossible.
Testing your home is the only way to know the radon level. There are no immediate symptoms that will alert you to the presence of radon. It typically takes years of exposure before any problems surface. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Surgeon General, American Lung Association, American Medical Association and National Safety Council all recommend testing your home for radon. Radon testing is easy, and requires very little to be done by the homeowner. If your house does have a radon problem, we can recommended you to a certified radon mitigator to come over and discuss options to have the problem reduced.
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Mitigation System
A radon mitigation system operates by lowering the amount of soil gas entry into the home. This can be done in several ways depending on the construction type of the home. In houses that have a basement or a slab-on-grade foundation, radon is usually reduced by one of four types of soil suction: subslab suction, drain tile suction, sump hole suction, or block wall suction. Radon mitigation systems have been found to drastically lower radon levels in homes and reduce the threat to insignificant levels. There are many different types of mitigation systems and prices can vary. The MSU Radon project has participated in helping area residents lower their radon levels.
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