by Margaret Henderson
The Indiana State Department of Health, Lead and Healthy Homes Division, provides information to the public about radon and its health effects and has responsibility for licensing radon testers and mitigators.
As part of its educational component, the Division provides maps for the public to view to give an indication of what radon levels have been found or may be predicted in their counties.
In Indiana, much of the state is in Zone 1, with counties predicted to have indoor air concentrations of radon above 4 pCi/L, the recommended EPA action level. https://www.in.gov/isdh/images/Radon_Map.png
Two maps created by the Department (Author: Samuel Owusu-Agyemang Indiana State Department of Health, 2018), give test results over a 15-year period from 2002 – 2017. The map “Indiana Median Levels by Township” presents test results from testing by licensed testers and/or homeowners during that period and results are from samples taken before any mitigation work was done. https://www.in.gov/isdh/files/Radon_Township%20aggregate%202002_2017.pdf
A second map, created by the same author, “Indiana Elevated Radon Tests and Smoking Rate by Township” gives further detail regarding radon risk by providing the percent of smokers in the county. The test results are from the same periods (2002-2017) and results are before any mitigation. The map shows percent of radon tests greater than 4 pCi/L and the percent smokers below and above the county average of 19.5%.
For more information about radon in Indiana, contact:
Indiana Radon Hotline: (800) 272-9723
Phil Waters, Program Coordinator
pwaters@isdh.in.gov
United States