Washington Twp. Participating In Radon Awareness Program

LONG VALLEY, N.J. – The Washington Township Department of Health announced it will be taking part in the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Radon Section during a special radon awareness program.

The program promotes testing for radon in homes. “We are pleased to cooperate with the DEP in this program to ensure that all residents are aware of the need to test homes and reduce radon levels where necessary,” Health Officer Chris Cooke-Gibbs said. “Testing is the only way to know if you and your family are at risk from radon. Radon testing is easy and problems can be fixed (mitigated).”

As part of the program radon information materials like brochures and posters area available at the Washington Township Health Department, located inside the municipal building at 43 Schooley’s Mountain Road.

Radon test kits will also be available for purchase at the health department in the amount of $6 per kit, which includes canister, instructions, postage paid mailer, testing and results mailed anonymously to the homeowner.

According to the township:

Radon is a radioactive gas that occurs naturally when uranium breaks down in the soil and in rock formations. Small amounts of uranium are found in nearly all soils and rocks. Radon gas moves up through the soil and finds its way into homes through cracks in the foundation and openings around sump pumps, pipes and drains.

High radon levels are associated with a greater risk of lung cancer, Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer for non-smokers.

Overall, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer resulting in approximately 21,000 deaths in the United States per year. It is recommended that homes be mitigated if they have radon concentrations of 4pCi/L or more.

Testing results showed that about 40% of the homes tested for radon in Washington Township in 2015 came back with levels equal to or above 4 pCi/L. Because radon levels vary from house to house, the only way to determine if your home exceeds the action level is to test it for radon.

There is no truly “safe” level of radon since lung cancer can result from very low exposures to radon; however, the risk decreases as the radon concentration decreases. If your test result is less than 4.0pCi/L, you may want to discuss with mitigation companies whether the radon level can be brought down still further. In about half of the homes that have been mitigated in New Jersey, radon levels have been brought to less than 1 pCi/L.

Homeowners who tested in the past and found low levels of radon may wish to retest to determine if radon concentrations may have changed, due to changes in air flow within the house from new additions or other renovations or due to new construction nearby that may have caused changes in the local geology.

The Washington Township Health Department can be reached at 908-876-3650 or the DEP Radon Section at 800-648-0394 or njradon.org.