About Radon Data
Overview
This site provides data on indoor air radon testing. Data are presented by county and by year. The table below shows key information about radon testing data:
Data Source | Bureau of Environmental Radiation Protection |
---|---|
Time Frame | 2000-2019 |
Geographic Coverage | New York State by County |
Last Update | February 2020 |
Data Methodology | See Technical Notes |
Interpreting Data
- Indoor Air Radon testing data on the Environmental Public Health Tracker was obtained from the Bureau of Environmental Radiation Protection. The Bureau's Radon Program contracts with a radon testing laboratory to provide short term testing kits and results to New York State residents. Radon testing informs residents about the radon levels and allows them to take mitigation actions to reduce radon in their home. More Information on Radiological Health and Radon.
- New York State Radon testing data is available at street address level and is aggregated to be presented by county, year and floor level tested.
- Environmental Public Health Tracker data only includes results from short-term charcoal canister testing requested through the New York State Department of Health's Radon Program and therefore may not capture all radon tests perform in a county.
- Environmental Public Health Tracker data only provide information on residential radon testing performed indoors. Other testing of environmental sources of radon including water and soil have not been included. Other testing of environmental sources of radon including water and soil have not been included. In addition, radon testing by homeowners is optional in New York. Therefore, values displayed here may not be representative of every home in that county. It is important for all residents to test their homes for radon.
- Using New York State Department of Health and US EPA standards, the Environmental Public Health Tracker identifies radon levels of 4 picocuries/Liter (pCi/L) and higher as recommended action levels.
- Environmental Public Health Tracker data includes both screening tests and post-mitigation tests as it is not always possible to differentiate between them unless the requestor specifies reason for testing.
View New York State by County and Year
Average Number of Radon Tests by County and Year
Users can view the average number of radon tests performed in New York State, by county for a selected five-year period. Data is presented as five-year rolling averages in maps, graphs and tables.
Percentage of Homes tested for Radon by County and Year
Users can view percent of homes in a county that were tested for radon for a selected five-year period in New York State. Number of housing units in a county was obtained from the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data and used to determine percentages. Data is presented as five-year rolling averages in maps, graphs and tables. Note that this is only the percent of homes tested through the NYS Radon Program. Radon testing through the NYS Radon Program accounts for about 10% of all radon testing performed in NYS.
Average Radon Test values by County and Year
Users can view the average radon test results in New York State, by county for a selected five-year period. Data is presented in pCi/L units as five-year rolling averages in maps, graphs and tables.
Maximum Radon Test values by County and Year
Users can view the maximum radon test results in New York State, by county for a selected five-year period. Data is presented in pCi/L units as five-year rolling averages in maps, graphs and tables.
Percent Tests by Test Results by County and Year
Users can view the percent of tests with results <2 pCi/L, 2 to <4 pCi/L or 4 pCi/L and higher in New York State, by county for a selected five-year period. Data is presented as five-year rolling averages in maps, graphs and tables.
Percent Tests by Floor level tested by County and Year
Users can view the percent of tests by floor level tested (basement, first floor, other floors) in New York State, by county for a selected five-year period. Data is presented as five-year rolling averages in maps, graphs and tables.
View County data by Year
Users can select a county to view a table of multiple years of radon test data metrics for that county. Radon test measures will be displayed as five-year rolling averages and include average number of tests performed, percent of homes tested, average and maximum radon test values in pCi/L, percent tests with results <2 pCi/L, 2 to <4 pCi/L or 4 pCi/L and higher and percent tests by floor level tested.
Technical Notes
- Indoor Air Radon test data was obtained from the Bureau of Environmental Radiation Protection Radon Program.
- Charcoal Canisters are consistently the only method of short term testing performed by the NYSDOH from 2000 forward.
- School and commercial building radon tests were not included in the Tracker database.
- The radon database does not include void tests (more than 7 days long) or tests with values below the lowest detectable limit.
- Percent of homes tested was calculated by using county data on housing units from the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau.