HILLSBOROUGH: Free radon test kits available

Hillsborough Township will make available 148 radon test kits to residents as part of an awareness program with the state Department of Environmental Protection’s Radon Section and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Township health inspector Mike Carr said the program aims to ensure that residents are aware of the need to test homes and reduce radon levels, where necessary.
"Testing is the only way to know if you and your family are at risk from radon," he said. "Radon testing is easy and problems can be fixed."
The DEP Radon Section, with funding through the EPA, provides the township health department with radon information materials, including brochures, videotapes, posters and giveaways to support outreach initiatives.
The 148 test kits are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Homeowners may contact Mr. Carr at 908-369-5652 to request a kit.
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.
Hillsborough has been designated as an area especially at risk for radon.
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 about 21,000 deaths in the United States per year.
It is recommended that homes be mitigated if they have radon concentrations of 4 pCi/L or more. There is no truly "safe" level of radon since lung cancer can result from very low exposures; however, the risk decreases as the radon concentration decreases.
If a test result is less than 4 pCi/L, homeowners may want to discuss with a mitigation company whether the radon level can be brought down 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 have tested in the past and found low levels of radon may wish to retest to determine if radon concentrations may have changed from changes in air flow in the house from new additions or other renovations, or due to new construction nearby that may have caused changes in the local geology.
The DEP’s Radon Section can be reached at 800-648-0394 or www.njradon.org, and can provide a list of state-certified companies that provide testing services or "do-it-yourself" test kits, as well as companies that provide remediation services.
For information, contact Mr. Carr at the township health department at 908-369-5652 or the DEP Radon Section at 800-648-0394.