Products

PRO-LAB RA100: short-term liquid scintillation radon test kit

Name: PRO-LAB RA100
Brand: PRO-LAB

By Radon411 Editorial TeamUpdated October 1, 20264 min readHow we research

Short answer

PRO-LAB's short-term radon kit, model RA100, holds two liquid scintillation detectors that you place side by side on the lowest level of your home for 96 hours, then return to PRO-LAB's laboratory in a prepaid envelope with the lab fee. PRO-LAB says results are mailed within a week of receipt, with an express service for home sales.

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At a glance

Type: Short-term test kit, two liquid scintillation detectors, mail-in
How it measures: Liquid scintillation detectors with silica gel desiccant, laboratory analysis
Exposure time: 96 hours
Lab fee: Paid separately
Power: None needed
Units: pCi/L
Price: Not shown. We print a price only from Amazon's live product data, with the time it was checked, and that feed is not connected yet.

Drawing of a radon test kit: a sampling canister and a return mailer to the laboratory — Our drawing of this type of device, not a photo of the PRO-LAB RA100.

PRO-LAB product page

What it is and how it works

PRO-LAB describes its detectors as liquid scintillation, short-term detectors that contain a patented silica gel desiccant to remove moisture. The EPA names charcoal liquid scintillation devices among the detectors most commonly used for short-term testing. Like a charcoal canister, the detector collects radon passively while it sits open, and the measurement is made later, at the laboratory.

What sets this kit apart is that it contains two detectors. PRO-LAB says the pair lets you run a side-by-side test, and its instructions compare your average against the action level. The EPA describes the same idea for home sales: two short-term tests at the same time in the same location, using the average of the two results.

The exposure is longer than many charcoal kits. PRO-LAB says to leave the detectors for 96 hours, to let them absorb enough radon to be analyzed, then seal them with the enclosed caps, complete the data card and return them in the prepaid postage envelope with any required lab fee. The EPA counts any test from two to 90 days as short-term, and sets 48 hours as the minimum for any radon test.

PRO-LAB also sells a long-term kit, model RL116, and describes the RA100 as suited to initial screening. The EPA's view is similar: a long-term test, more than 90 days, is more likely than a short-term one to tell you a home's year-round average, because radon levels vary from day to day and season to season.

What the result means follows the EPA's steps rather than the kit's. The EPA says to take a follow-up test when a short-term result is at or above 4 pCi/L, either a long-term test or a second short-term test, and to consider fixing between 2 and 4 pCi/L. A pair of side-by-side detectors gives a steadier short-term number than one, but it is still a measurement of four days, not of a year.

Independent evidence

C-NRPP's consumer evaluation covers electronic monitors, not laboratory-analyzed test kits, so it has no result for PRO-LAB RA100. A kit's result comes from the laboratory that analyzes it; see the laboratory and certification notes below.

What the manufacturer says

PRO-LAB states that results are mailed within one week of the lab receiving the detectors.
PRO-LAB states that an express service for real estate transactions returns results within 48 hours (2 business days) of receipt; call PRO-LAB for details.
PRO-LAB describes its detectors as using patented silica gel desiccants to remove moisture so results are accurate and reliable.
PRO-LAB states that it recommends a radon test every year.

These are PRO-LAB's own statements, attributed to it. They are not our findings, and we have not tested this product ourselves.

Who it fits

Good fit if

You want two detectors in one kit, so the result is an average of two side-by-side measurements.
You can keep the house closed for four days and the 12 hours before.
You want return postage prepaid.
You want the option of an express result during a home sale, after checking your state's rules.

Look elsewhere if

You want the lab fee inside the kit price; PRO-LAB has you send it with the detectors.
You want a result after two or three days; this kit runs for 96 hours.
You want to follow radon over weeks or months.
Your state requires a certified tester for a home sale.

Setup and placement

PRO-LAB says to place the two detectors in the lowest level of your home or office for 96 hours. Keep the two together, since the point is a side-by-side pair, and complete the data card when you seal them.

The EPA's placement guidance: the lowest lived-in level, a room used regularly but not the kitchen or bathroom, at least 20 inches above the floor, away from drafts, high heat, high humidity and exterior walls.

Closed-house conditions apply for the whole test. The EPA describes them as keeping all windows closed, keeping doors closed except for normal entry and exit, and not operating fans or other machines that bring in air from outside; interference with the test or those conditions will invalidate the result.

Start those conditions early. The EPA says to close windows and outside doors at least 12 hours before a short test begins, lets heating and air-conditioning fans that re-circulate air keep running, and advises against short tests during unusually severe storms or periods of unusually high winds. Over 96 hours that is four days of normal comings and goings with the windows shut.

For where any radon test or monitor should sit in a home, see where to place a radon test.

What is in the box, and what it costs to run

The kit holds two desiccated short-term detectors with caps, a data card and a prepaid postage envelope for the return. Questions go to PRO-LAB's environmental testing specialists by phone.

The lab fee is separate: PRO-LAB asks you to return the detectors with any required lab fee, so check the current fee before you buy. Return postage is prepaid. Express results for a home sale are a separate service. If the average is at or above 4 pCi/L, the EPA's next step is a follow-up test, which may mean a long-term kit such as PRO-LAB's RL116.

Compared with similar products

This product first, then its neighbors A to Z. Order is not a recommendation.

PRO-LAB RA100 (this page)
Type
Short-term test kit
How it measures
Liquid scintillation detectors with silica gel desiccant, laboratory analysis
Power
None needed
C-NRPP 2024/25
Not applicable (lab-analyzed kit)
First Alert RD1
Type
Short-term test kit
How it measures
Activated charcoal (activated carbon), laboratory analysis
Power
None needed
C-NRPP 2024/25
Not applicable (lab-analyzed kit)
One charcoal sampler for two to four days, with the lab fee included except in New Jersey.
Kidde 442020
Type
Short-term test kit
How it measures
Activated charcoal sampler, laboratory analysis
Power
None needed
C-NRPP 2024/25
Not applicable (lab-analyzed kit)
One activated charcoal sampler bag for three days; analysis included, return postage not.

PRO-LAB RA100 beside neighbouring products of the same type
Product	Type	How it measures	Power	C-NRPP 2024/25	The difference that matters
PRO-LAB RA100 (this page)	Short-term test kit	Liquid scintillation detectors with silica gel desiccant, laboratory analysis	None needed	Not applicable (lab-analyzed kit)	The product this page covers.
First Alert RD1	Short-term test kit	Activated charcoal (activated carbon), laboratory analysis	None needed	Not applicable (lab-analyzed kit)	One charcoal sampler for two to four days, with the lab fee included except in New Jersey.
Kidde 442020	Short-term test kit	Activated charcoal sampler, laboratory analysis	None needed	Not applicable (lab-analyzed kit)	One activated charcoal sampler bag for three days; analysis included, return postage not.

Questions people ask

What is a liquid scintillation radon detector?

It is a passive detector that is analyzed by a laboratory after exposure, rather than one that shows a reading. The EPA names charcoal liquid scintillation devices among the detectors most commonly used for short-term testing. PRO-LAB adds a patented silica gel desiccant to its detectors to remove moisture, which it says keeps results accurate and reliable.

What if the two results differ?

PRO-LAB's instructions work from the average of the two: if the average is 4.0 pCi/L or higher, it says to take action to reduce radon. The EPA's own next step after a first short-term result at or above 4 pCi/L is a follow-up test, long-term or a second short-term test, before deciding to fix.

Why does the PRO-LAB kit have two detectors?

PRO-LAB says the two detectors are for side-by-side testing, and its instructions use the average of the two results. The EPA describes two simultaneous short-term tests, averaged, as one of the options for a home sale.

How long until I get results?

PRO-LAB says results are mailed within one week of receipt, and that an express service for real estate transactions returns them within 48 hours (2 business days) of receipt.

Can I use it for a home sale?

PRO-LAB offers express results for real estate transactions. Check your state's rules before relying on any do-it-yourself kit for a sale. The EPA describes the testing options and conditions for a sale, and our guide to buying a house with radon, under Guides, sets them out step by step.