Radon in Minnesota Homes

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) publishes guidelines for radon testing, and how to interpret the results. These guidelines can help you to estimate your radon level and whether you should act quickly to eliminate the possible health affects associated with it.

Radon levels may vary, and are affected by things such as seasonality, climate, and geographic location. Because of these nuances and how they may determine your radon reading, you'll typically see a small different in advice given for the state of Minnesota versus those given by the EPA.

What is radon and why should I worry about it?

Radon is a naturally occurring gas produced in the soil around your home, but has no odor, taste or color. Unfortunately, despite the ghostlike nature of its presence, it is radioactive. Therefore, it is able to produce cancer in humans, being the leading cause of lung cancer in the US, following closely by smoking.

The problem isn't the radon itself, it's the radon decay product, also called RDPs. Alpha radiation, like radon, gives off alpha particles as it decays and these can be delivered directly to the DNA, causing lung tissue damage. RDPs have a very fast half life of 30 minutes, which means that there will be a constant fluctuation of radon levels in your home if it's decaying.

Do I really need to bother with testing for radon?

Yes! There is no way to know if it's in your home without testing, thanks to its invisible and odorless nature. The Minnesota Department of Health estimates that one in three Minnesota homes has radon levels above the EPA's recommended action level.

What's a “recommended action level”?

The EPA set a recommended action level to help the public interpret when their radon levels are too high. The limit of 4 picoCuries/liter (pCi/L) should be compared to yearly average of radon measured in a home. If the annual average level of radon in a home is above this action level, both the EPA and MDH recommend that steps be taken to lower it, and further recommended doing so even if it's as low at 2 pCi/L.

Is there a radon level that's safe?

Any amount of radon carries some risk, though things like lung cancer increase with higher long-term average radon levels. You can't ever reduce radon to zero, but you can take steps to lower it as much as possible. In Minnesota there are no regulations for radon, so it's up to homeowners to decide what they're comfortable with.

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