The Westbrook Health Department is offering a limited number of FREE Radon test kits to Westbrook homeowners.
To obtain a FREE test kit, call 860-399-0339 or email Pamela Solis at the Westbrook Health Department at PSolis@WestbrookCT.us
In the email, include your full name, address of the property being tested, and a telephone number.
A Radon Test Kit will then be delivered to your mailbox, contact free.
Radon is a naturally occurring, radioactive gas released in rock, soil, and water formed from the breakdown of uranium.
Levels in outdoor air pose a low threat to human health. However, radon can enter homes through surrounding soil, foundation cracks, private water supply wells, and thus become a health hazard inside buildings. Radon does not cause symptoms and you cannot see or smell radon gas. An elevated radon level in your home may affect
the health of you and your family. Breathing in radon gas over prolonged periods may damage lung tissue. In the US, exposure to radon is the leading cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that radon causes more than 20,000 lung cancer deaths in the
country each year. If you smoke and your home has radon, the risk of developing lung cancer is much higher.
Radon has been found in elevated levels in homes in every state. High radon concentrations can occur sporadically in all parts of CT. Two homes right next to each other can have different radon levels.
The only way to know if you have an elevated radon level above the EPA action level of 4 pCi/L is to test your home’s indoor air.
Radon levels vary seasonally and tend to be higher in the winter months; therefore, its best to test from November to March when your house is closed up.The EPA recommends that homes with radon levels at 4 pCi/L or higher be reduced. However, any amount of radon exposure can pose some health risk.