Starting today, residents can check out a radon detector kit at any Fargo Public Library location. These reusable kits are available through a partnership with the University of North Dakota as a way to take action against radon health risks. UND and the Fargo Public library have partnered to make home testing for radon free and as easy as possible, in order to save lives and create healthier living spaces. These kits are designed to make it easier for library patrons to determine if their homes contain unsafe levels of radon, which is a radioactive, carcinogenic gas. Currently 30 digital radon detectors are in the library’s collection and can be checked out for three weeks with a Fargo Public Library card in good standing. Library patrons can place holds on the devices via the library’s catalog and the kits can be sent to the selected branch library for pickup. Each kit contains instructions on how to use the device and what patrons can do to fix a home if high levels of radon are detected. For more information about the radon test kits, contact Library Collection Manager Jenilee Kanenwisher at 701.241.8123.
Present in rocks and soil, radon is a colorless, odorless gas produced from radioactive elements such as uranium and thorium. It’s an often-overlooked cause of lung cancer and other diseases and typically seeps into the basements of homes through foundation cracks and sump pump openings.
The Fargo Public Library’s lending program is made available as a project of UND CONNECT, a UND effort to support faculty-led civic projects to make life better for North Dakotans. Funding for UND CONNECT projects is provided by a grant from the North Dakota Economic Diversification Research Grant Fund. Dr. Soojung Kim, chair of UND’s Department of Communication, is facilitating the digital radon detector lending program.