Reduced-Cost Radon Test Kits Available for Ferndale Residents

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METRO DETROIT, MI – Some Metro Detroit counties are offering radon kits at free or reduced prices during January, National Radon Action Month, to encourage residents to test their homes for the potentially harmful gas.

The kits will be available for $5 at Oakland County Health Division offices in Pontiac and Southfield, and for free by the Macomb County Health Department.

Radon is an odorless, colorless, radioactive gas that occurs naturally in soil and rock. It moves upward through the soil and enters buildings through cracks and openings in the foundation floor or walls.

Once it is indoors, radon can accumulate to unhealthy levels. Radon exposure does not cause any immediate symptoms, but it is the leading cause of lung cancer among nonsmokers.

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, radon is responsible for approximately 14,000 deaths nationally each year.

In Macomb County, the level is 1.9 picocuries per liter; it’s 3.6 picocuries per liter in Oakland County; it’s 2.5 picocuries per liter in Wayne County; it’s 4.4 picocuries per liter in Livingston County; it’s 2.9 picocuries per liter in Genesee County; and it’s 4.9 picocuries per liter in Washtenaw County.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says that levels of 4 picocuries per liter or higher are considered elevated and increase the risk of getting lung cancer.

“You can’t see or smell radon, and people tend to ignore the possibility that it might exist at high levels in their homes,” Tony Drautz, administrator of Health Division’s Environmental Health Services, said in a statement. “The best time to test your home for radon is during the cooler months when the windows and doors are closed.”

Here’s where to get the kits in Oakland County:

• North Oakland Health Center, 1200 N Telegraph, Building 34E, Pontiac
• South Oakland Health Center, 27725 Greenfield Road, Southfield

Here’s where to get the free kits in Macomb County:

• Southwest Health Center, 27690 Van Dyke, Warren
• Central Health Center, 43525 Elizabeth Road, Mount Clemens

In Wayne County, the health department hasn’t listed discounts, but radon kits are available at:

• Environmental Health, 5454 S. Venoy Rd., Wayne
• T Institution of Population Health, 1400 Woodbridge St, Detroit

Washtenaw County Environmental Health is offering the kits for $10 at:

• Western County Service Center, 705 N. Zeeb Road in Scio Township

In Livingston County, the kits are offered for $5 for short-term tests and $10 for long-term tests at:

• Livingston County Department of Public Health, 2300 E. Grand River Ave., Suite 102, Howell,

In Genesee County, the county hasn’t listed discounts, but they are available at:

• Genesee County Health Department, 630 S. Saginaw St., Flint