Radon is a colorless and odorless radioactive gas that seeps up through soil and into the air. The Minnesota Department of Health’s Indoor Air unit indicates “when inhaled, it gives off radioactive particles that can damage the cells that line the lungs”, and “long term exposure to radon can lead to lung cancer”.

In an effort to educate Minnesotans on the un-mitigated implications of radon exposure, MDH with the support of a federal grant, partnered with MNIT staff to develop a new Interactive Radon Map.

The map includes five years of data (2010-2014), and contains more than 86,000 Minnesota properties tested. While visualizing the data spatially can be useful, “the hidden benefit to the map is the ability to download the data for further analysis,” says Kitty Hurley, a MNIT@MDH employee, who helped create the map. Providing access to the raw data has benefits for citizens and public health professionals.

The ability to download the data makes the raw information more accessible to all Minnesotans. While the ability to download the data is important, being able to interact with the maps interface is equally as important, which is why the tool was built designed with accessibility at the forefront. The map itself has been optimized to work with screen readers, so that those with visual limitations are able to access the data that has been made available.

Both MDH and MNIT recognize that the development of this tool is a huge step in educating Minnesotan’s about radon in their areas; however, it does not replace the importance of testing your home for radon. All Minnesotan’s are encouraged to test for radon levels.

To learn more about radon and how to test a home in Minnesota, please visit the MDH website dedicated to radon test kits.