Origin:
Survey data pertaining to radon testing behavior are from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).
Dates Available:
Single years 2011-2019,2021, 2023; combined years 2016-2019 and 2021.
Geographic Resolution:
State, Public Health District, County
Abstract:
This data set contains information on the percent of adults in Maine who tested their home’s indoor air for radon, the percent of adults who found indoor air radon levels were above normal, and the percent of adults in homes with elevated radon that had the levels reduced or fixed. Data are stratified by geographic location, housing type (i.e. own, rent), income, and education level.
The dataset contains the following measures:
- Percentage and count of adults who tested their home for radon in air
- Percentage and count of adults who live in a home where the radon level tested above . (See Supplemental Information below about a change in question phrasing.)
- Percentage and count of adults in a home where the radon levels have been reduced.
Purpose:
After smoking, radon exposure is considered the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. In Maine, homeowners are responsible for testing their home indoor air for radon. Property owners in Maine are required to test their rental properties for radon by March 1, 2014 and every 10 years after as requested by the tenant. Results must be disclosed to all current and future tenants.
The BRFSS is conducted nationally in 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam. Currently, more than 10,000 adults are interviewed each year. Radon testing questions were first included in the 2009 and included every year until 2024 where they are now included every other year beginning in 2026.
Statistical weighting is an analytical technique used to account for survey non-response, in addition to know distributions of age, race and ethnicity, gender, geographic region and other characteristics of populations. From 1984 to 2010, the BRFSS used a technique called post-stratification to weight BRFSS survey data. In 2011, a new statistical method called raking replaced the older method because it could help record additional population characteristics such as education level, marital status, and home ownership status of respondents. Weighting was modified again in 2015 to include cell phone respondents. Changes in the estimated percentage of BRFSS measures from year to year could be due to changes in survey methodology.
The second question in the series was changed in 2022 to: "Were the radon levels in your household above the Environmental Protection Agency’s recommended action level of 4 Pci/L (Picocuries per liter)?" Prior to this, the question asked was: "Were the radon levels in your household above normal?"
Entity and Attribute Overview:
The dataset includes the following fields: weighted count, weighted percent (with accompanying 95% confidence intervals) of adults living in homes tested for the presence of radon in air; weighted count, weighted percent (with accompanying 95% confidence intervals) of adults living in homes with radon levels above EPA recommendation; and weighted count, weighted percent (with accompanying 95% confidence intervals) of adults living in homes that have had the radon level inside the home reduced. The dataset stratifies these results by survey year, geographic region, household status (own/rent), and demographic attributes of income or education.
Data Limitations:
- Maine adults who are institutionalized, do not have a phone, or cannot communicate over the phone are not interviewed by the survey.
- Data are based upon self-report, and individuals may or may not be able to report accurately that their household has been tested or whether their radon result was above the EPA recommended level and reduced.
- While the prevalence data are statistically weighted to be more representative of the general adult population of Maine and to adjust for non-response, statistical weighting methods are not always perfect in accomplishing this.
- In general, only a small percentage (less than 10%) of people who respond to these survey questions answer “I don’t know” to any given question. However, when data are analyzed by a variety of stratifications, a relatively high percentage (>10%) answer that they did not know. The implication is that the percent of homes tested for radon, reported radon levels higher than EPA recommendation, or had the levels reduced may be higher than results from the survey, since estimates reflect only those who reported being certain that they had tested. The percentage of people who answered “No” or “Don’t know” to each question is included in the Tables tab.
Access Constraints:
Publicly available data are suppressed in accordance with the Maine CDC Privacy Policy to protect confidentiality.
More Information:
- To find more general information on this topic, see the Radon page of the Maine Tracking Network messaging portal.
- For specific definitions of terms and concepts see the Glossary.
- For more information on BRFSS, see the BRFSS website.
- To view data for other states and cities, visit the National Environmental Public Health Tracking Data Portal.
Suggested Citation for Data Displays:
Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Maine Tracking Network. Radon Testing Metadata: Radon Testing Behavior. Available online: https://data.mainepublichealth.gov/tracking/ Accessed on [date accessed].