Radon test kits themselves are usually not dangerous, provided that you don’t try to eat their contents or do anything else unusual with them. They’re no different from carbon monoxide detectors or any other similar household gadget.
Handle activated charcoal test kits with care, especially after they’ve been exposed. While the amount of radiation they collect normally isn’t enough to be an issue to you personally, you don’t want to do anything to contaminate the kit.
Electronic radon meters should be treated with the same care that you’d treat a smoke detector. You shouldn’t drop them or try to pull them open, just like you wouldn’t want to do that to a hardware store-bought test kit.
Naturally, electric gear always comes with a shock hazard, but a radon test kit would prove no worse in this case than any other piece of plug-in equipment you’ve ever worked with. Cup-type test kits that use activated charcoal don’t rely on any sort of external power adapter, and therefore these don’t even have that kind of problem associated with them.
That being said, radon gas itself is seriously dangerous. According to the World Health Organization, radon is a Group 1-level carcinogenic gas, so you should take measures to mitigate the danger if a test does come back positive.
Once a test kit is in place, technicians will sometimes advise you to close any windows in the area to get a more accurate reading. It may be unsafe to stay in the same room with a kit if you do this because closing off windows and doors can increase the amount of radon in a given space.
How Do Radon Test Kits Work?
Standard consumer-grade radon test kits are made out of a sensitive material that reacts with ionizing particles given off by radioactive gases. This material is packed inside of a frame that allows it to come into contact wit the air in a room.
If the air has radon in it, then the material will react with the gas. When a lab technician examines the kit, they’ll find evidence of radioactivity.
By measuring how much of the material has changed state, a lab tech can quantify just how bad the radon gas in a home is. They could also use a test kit built around an electronic sensor to get a more accurate measurement.
These kits use a semiconductor chip that reacts with air to count the number of times radioactive molecules come into contact with a sensing surface. An onboard computer translates this data into numeric information, which is then presented to the user via a liquid crystal display.
This method is similar to how radiation survey meters and Geiger counters works. Since radon gas is diffused in the air around us, however, it takes longer for them to deliver a reading than a Geiger counter would if you held it to a test source made from a sample of radium or uranium.
How Long Do You Need to Run a Radon Test Kit for Accurate Results?
A regular activated charcoal packet test kit needs to be left in place for around 2-4 days in order to ensure an accurate reading. Once you’ve sent the kit to the lab, it should only take another 72 hours to get your results.
Some inexpensive hardware store kits may have to be left in place for 3-7 days before being sent to a lab. The instructions on the package will normally state the length of time you need to leave it out in terms of hours.
Considering that most radon tests are done right before a house gets sold, it might make sense to pay a little more for a kit that doesn’t take as long. Regardless of what type you pick, make sure that it’s certified to be accurate.
The packaging that radon test kits come in has to have a clear statement about how accurate it is and how long you need to leave it in place for. It might also tell you not to leave it out for more than 4-7 days, because test kits might actually start to show inaccurate results if they’re left out for too long.
Some truly accurate long-term test kits are designed to be left in place for 90 days or longer. Most homeowners might not run into these, but if you do any kind of sensitive machining or fabricating at work you may have to use one of these to ensure that your gear isn’t thrown off by even the slightest amount of radon.
There are also long-term kits designed to measure radon that escapes from cracks in the Earth’s crust. These kits are meant to be left in place for a year or two to measure radon exposure over time.
Is Radon Really That Dangerous?
In spite of the fact that it’s colorless and odorless, radon gas is every bit as dangerous as people claim. The EPA estimates that radon exposure is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers.
Their numbers suggest that radon gas kills approximately 21,000 people a year. An overwhelming majority of people who are exposed to potentially lethal amounts of radon gas aren’t aware of it.
Since breathing in radon causes no immediate effects in most cases, people could theoretically be exposed to dangerously high levels of it for years without ever realizing it. Over time, the radioactivity in the gas will start to alter the DNA in a person’s lung cells, which causes cancerous growths to form.
Fortunately, a property that shows dangerous levels of radon doesn’t necessarily have to be abandoned permanently. Pumps can be installed to take contaminated air out of the home.
These are normally attached to filtered pipes, which capture radioactive molecules so that they can later be disposed of safely. Due to the dangers inherent in dealing with any form of ionizing radiation, these systems are usually fitted with backup power sources so they’ll continue to work during an electrical outage.