USEPA in “Spotlight: Successful Approaches for Reducing Radon Risk, noted the success of the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) in having their most successful NRAM media campaign since they started tracking it in 2008.
The 2021 media campaign included several outreach strategies including billboards, TV and radio promotions, and website content linking back to the state’s radon test kit ordering page. In January 2021:
• MDH tracked more than 30,000 web hits to this website, representing the highest monthly number ever recorded.
• There were 4,275 radon test kits ordered during the month of January, which was also a monthly record.
• MDH also observed an increase in the test kit analysis rate--64% of valid test kits were returned for analysis from December 2020 – March 2021.
Building on that success, in 2022, Minnesota also promoted Radon Awareness Month with a press release https://www.health.state.mn.us/news/pressrel/2022/radon010522.html
To help residents get a more accurate picture of radon levels in Minnesota, MDH developed a series of maps showing information about Radon in Minnesota. Some of the key findings were:
• The average radon level in Minnesota homes is about 4.5 pCi/L compared to 1.3 pCi/L nationwide.
• Only about 1% to 2% of homes in Minnesota are tested annually; health officials recommend that at least 20% be tested annually.
• Testing and mitigation are less frequent in communities with lower incomes and more renters.
More information about radon in Minnesota is available on the MDH website at Radon in Homes or by calling the MDH Indoor Air Unit at 651-201-4601 or 1-800-798-9050.
Minnesota Radon Program
https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/air/radon/radontestresults.html
Source: Overview of EPA’s State Indoor Radon Grants Program: A Focus on Activities Conducted during 2021 https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2022-02/final-2021-annual-sirg-activities-report-508c.pdf
United States