Dataset · v1.0.0 · 5 rows
Testing method comparison
Every residential radon measurement method side by side: what it reports, how long it runs, whether it evidences its own conditions, and which decisions it can and cannot carry.
The data
| Method | Typical duration | What it reports | Evidences its own conditions | Suitable for a transaction | Suitable for post-mitigation verification | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charcoal short-term kit (lab analysed) | 2-7 days | Average concentration over the exposure period. | false | false | true | An inexpensive first measurement, and routine biennial retesting by an owner. |
| Alpha-track long-term detector | 90+ days | Average concentration across seasons. | false | false | false | Understanding the exposure you actually live with, and deciding within the 2–4 consideration band. |
| Continuous radon monitor (professionally deployed) | 2-7 days | Hourly log plus an average, commonly with tamper and condition data. | true | true | true | Real-estate measurement and any result likely to be disputed. |
| Consumer plug-in continuous monitor | continuous | Rolling averages and trends over time in the owner’s own home. | false | false | false | Watching seasonal trend, and noticing a mitigation system that has stopped performing. |
| Radon-in-water test | 2-7 days | Concentration dissolved in a private well supply. | false | false | false | Households on a private well, as a separate exposure pathway with its own treatment. |
Download and API
- testing-method-comparison.csv — 5 rows, comma separated.
- testing-method-comparison.json — rows plus the field schema, methodology, and version. Stable URL, same origin, no key required.
- index.json — the catalogue of every dataset, for programmatic discovery.
Licence. CC BY 4.0 — reuse with attribution to Radon Connect and a link to the dataset page.
Field schema
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
method | string | Measurement device or approach. |
duration | enum 2-7 days · 90+ days · continuous | How long the device is exposed. |
reports | string | The output. |
evidencesConditions | boolean | Whether the output shows if closed-building conditions actually held. |
transactionSuitable | boolean | Whether it is normally accepted where two parties with opposing interests must both trust the number. |
verificationSuitable | boolean | Whether it is appropriate to prove a system worked. |
bestFor | string | The question this method answers well. |
Methodology
The question this answers
Which radon measurement method answers which question, and which decisions can each one carry?
How a row comes to exist
- Methods are the device classes available to a residential homeowner in the states we serve.
- The conditions and suitability columns encode the practical distinction that matters in a dispute: whether the output evidences the test conditions or merely asserts a number.
- Durations are the typical exposure ranges published for each device class, not manufacturer-specific specifications.
Inclusion and exclusion
- Methods a homeowner can obtain or commission for a residential property.
- Laboratory and research instrumentation is excluded.
What this dataset cannot tell you
- Suitability columns reflect general practice, not a legal requirement. Where a state specifies acceptable devices for a given purpose, that specification governs.
- No accuracy or precision figures are published. Those are device and laboratory specific, and a general claim would misrepresent them.
- Every method depends on correct placement and closed-building conditions. A well-chosen device placed badly produces a well-documented wrong answer.
Related
- Radon Terminology Dataset — Controlled vocabulary with the misreading each term reliably attracts.
- Radon FAQ Corpus — 1363 hand-written question-answer pairs, structured and downloadable.
- How testing works — Devices, placement, closed-building conditions, and what invalidates a result.
- Monitors vs short-term tests — Which instrument to use, and why transactions favour monitors.
- False positives — Most disputed results are not false — they are invalid, mismeasured, or comparing two different things.
- Post-mitigation testing — The measurement that records the level once the system is running — and what to do if it is not what you hoped.
- Research Center — every dataset, with its provenance and status.
- Research methodology — how this platform builds and checks content.
Testing methods by duration and evidence
What it shows. That duration and evidentiary strength are separate axes — and only one method documents its own conditions.
Authored as SVG in this repository, with real text nodes and a long description for screen readers. Reusable under CC BY 4.0 — see the diagram library.
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Sources
- U.S. EPA — Radon
- U.S. EPA — A Citizen’s Guide to Radon
- U.S. EPA — Home Buyer’s and Seller’s Guide to Radon