By Margaret Henderson
New York State’s requirement for testers and mitigators to report radon test results, coupled with the state’s Open NY program for making data available to the public, has given the residents of New York a powerful tool for becoming aware of the radon hazards that may be present in their counties.
Testing firms reporting the number of measurements taken by zip code or county, and the activity in pCi/L, as well as the measurement location (basement or first floor), contribute to the growing database, which includes measurements from 1987 to the present.
Open NY https://data.ny.gov launched in 2013 and contains more than 113 million records from data sources, including data on radon testing. The website has interactive applications which allow for visualizing and manipulating the radon data. https://health.data.ny.gov/Health/Radon-Test-Results-By-County-Beginning-1987/8e6u-9695 While the data may not include all the testing done in New York, it value is significant in that it gives residents the ability to search their area results by county and other factors. More than 30,000 views of the data have been recorded on the website.
The data are reported by:
- test results for counties in New York;
- location of testing within the home (basement or first floor);
- number of homes tested in the county;
- average radon concentration in pCi/L;
- geometric mean (removing the bias of very high and very low results);
- geometric standard deviation;
- highest pCi/L;
- number of test results greater than 4 pCi/L (EPA recommended action level);
- number of results between 4 and 20 pCi/L; and
- number of results greater than 20 pCi/L.
Using the analytical tools, the user is able to:
- arrange data column order;
- make maps of findings;
- sort data;
- use filters;
- make charts; and
- export data in a variety of formats.
A quick examination makes it easy to discover the radon test results in a particular county. For instance, in Monroe County, the highest first floor test result was 259.5 pCi/L and the number of tests results less than 4pCi/L was 3019 of a total of 3084 tests. Fifty-six tested between 4pCi/L and 20 pCi/L and 9 were at or over 20pCi/L.
The application allows saving the results and embedding them in social media, by providing the necessary link and the information that goes with the particular study along with a referral to the New York State Department of Health Radon Homepage.
For more information about radon in New York, contact:
radon@health.ny.gov
518-402-7556
800-458-1158
http://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/radiological/radon/radon.htm
Note: The data published are from those who have tested through the NY program, which provides free and low-cost test kits to NYS residents and schools. 10NYCRR 16.130 requires that testers and mitigators report their data to the program. (They are required to report only the number of tests/mitigations done and the county where the testing/mitigation occurred.) Those who report data to the program as required and who are certified by AARST/NRSB or licensed by an adjoining state can be listed on the NY program webpage.
United States