By Margaret Henderson
The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services Radon Program notes that “due to budgetary reductions, the Department of Environmental Services does not have staff to respond to telephone calls or provide consultation and referral services for radon concerns.” Instead the department provides radon information through its website in a variety of ways which include:
- state map with radon levels from 24,000 test results;
- literature and links; and
- FAQs in numerous langauges.
State Radon Map
Test results of 24,000 homes tested between 1987 and 2008 are mapped giving the percent of homes with test results exceeding the 4pCi/L action level, recommended by EPA. Of the areas for which data are available, areas in New Hampshire range from less than 10% to greater than 49.9%. Within each county, there are areas that have test results in excess of the recommended levels. “The north, east and southeastern portions of New Hampshire tend to have elevated levels more frequently,” according to the department’s FAQ sheet.
http://des.nh.gov/organization/divisions/air/pehb/ehs/radon/documents/radon_by_town.pdf
Literature
Radon in Your Home: An Overview for New Hampshire Homeowners (2015) is an informational document on radon health risk from air and home water supply and measurement. Regarding radon in water, the paper notes “… it is quite common for water from bedrock wells in New Hampshire to have radon levels that pose a significant health risk (based on a lifetime of exposure) in comparison with other common drinking water contaminants.” As guidance, the document includes a flow chart “Recommendations for Reducing Health Risk from Radon.” Recommendations include testing as noted on the chart and consulting with certified radon mitigation professionals and gives links to certifying organizations.
FAQ Sheet
The FAQ sheet on radon addresses health risk and how to reduce radon exposure along with other basic information. Powered by Google translate, the reader may choose from numerous languages from English to Zulu, making it an international resource for radon FAQs.
With limited resources, the use of the website provides useful information to cover the basic questions about radon and provides links to resources for further action.
See http://des.nh.gov/organization/divisions/air/pehb/ehs/radon/
United States