Why test your Grand Island home for radon
You cannot see, smell or taste radon. The Nebraska DHHS Radon Program reports that more than half of the tests in Nebraska are above the EPA action level, and results vary house by house. A test costs little and takes a few days.
Types of radon test
- Short-term test: runs from 2 to 90 days, most often 2 to 4. Good for a first look and for real estate deadlines.
- Long-term test: runs more than 90 days and gives a better picture of the year-round average, because radon rises and falls with weather and season.
- Continuous monitor: an electronic device, usually placed by a professional, that records readings hour by hour. Common for home sales.
- Do-it-yourself kit: a small detector you set out and mail to a lab. Ask the Central District Health Department in Grand Island whether kits are available.
How to get a reliable result
- Test the lowest level of the home that people actually use, such as a finished basement.
- Keep windows and outside doors closed, except for normal coming and going, for 12 hours before and during a short test.
- Place the device away from drafts, sumps, exterior walls and high humidity.
- Do not test during unusually severe storms or high winds.
Reading your result
- 4.0 pCi/L or higher: the U.S. EPA recommends fixing the home. Confirm with a second test if the first was short and there is no deadline.
- 2 to 4 pCi/L: consider mitigation. There is no known safe level of radon.
- Under 2 pCi/L: retest every few years, and after major renovations or foundation work.
If your result is high, see radon mitigation in Grand Island.
Licensed radon testing in Nebraska
Nebraska requires people and businesses that measure radon for others to hold a state licence. When you request a professional test through this site, we refer you to a provider on that basis. Grand Island Radon is a referral service, not a radon contractor. We do not perform testing or mitigation. Enquiries are passed to an independent local provider licensed by the State of Nebraska, who sets their own prices and terms.