Radon is an odorless and invisible radioactive gas naturally released from rocks, soil, and water. Testing your home is the only way to know if radon levels are high. You and your family could be at risk for lung cancer from radon.
Radon, the 2nd leading cause of lung cancer in the United States; and found in groundwater, bedrock and soil can creep into the home through (1) construction joints, (2) cavities and cracks inside walls, (3) the sump pump, (4) cracks in solid floors, (5) gaps around service pipes, (6) gaps in suspended floors, and (7) in private wells and groundwater supplies*.
When to Test Your Home For Radon
You should test your home’s radon levels
- If it’s never been tested or radon levels are unknown
- When preparing to buy or sell
- Before and after any renovations, especially after making any repairs to reduce radon levels
- Before making any lifestyle changes in the home that would cause someone to spend more time in the basement or lower level (like converting a basement to a bedroom)
Radon in Homes and Buildings
All outdoor and indoor air has some radon in it. Some building materials also can release low levels of radon. Radon can build up in the air in any home or building whether it has a basement, is sealed or drafty, or is new or old. There is no known safe level of radon and you should always aim to have the lowest level. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends fixing your home if radon levels are above 4 picoCuries per liter of air (pCi/L)
Lung Cancer Risk
Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after cigarette smoking. The EPA and the Surgeon General’s office estimate radon is responsible for more than 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year in the United States.
When you breathe in radon, radioactive particles from the decay of radon gas can get trapped in your lungs. It takes many years for lung cancer to develop. Most people don’t have symptoms until lung cancer is advanced and at that point it is harder to treat. For these reasons, it is important to take steps to reduce radon exposure throughout your life to help prevent lung cancer.
Factors that increase your risk of getting lung cancer from radon include the following:
- High radon levels in your home or another building that you regularly spend time in
- High radon levels in the part of the home or building where you spend the most time (Radon levels are often higher in basements and lower levels.)
- Smoking cigarettes, currently or in the past
- Burning wood, coal, or other substances that add particles to air
There is not enough data to show whether children have a higher risk of developing lung cancer from radon exposure than adults. However, children may have higher doses (amount breathed in) of radon than adults even when exposed to the same radon levels for the same amount of time. This is because children have different lung shapes and sizes and faster breathing rates.
Ways to Keep Radon Levels Low
Since there is no safe level of radon, reducing radon inside your home or building will always help reduce your risk of lung cancer, even when the level in your home is less than 4 pCi/L.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recommends these actions you can take to reduce your risks of lung cancer and help lower radon levels in your home:
- Increase air flow in your house by opening windows and using fans and vents to circulate air. However, natural ventilation in any type of house is only a temporary strategy to reduce radon.
- Seal cracks in floors and walls with plaster, caulk, or other materials designed for this purpose.
- You can cover the earth floor in crawl spaces with a high-density plastic sheet. A vent pipe and fan can be used to blow the radon from under the sheet and vent it to the outdoors
Always test radon levels again after you’ve made any of these changes to ensure these actions reduced the radon levels.
Smoking and second-hand smoke, combined with exposures to high radon levels, increase your risk of lung cancer. Not smoking and not allowing others to smoke in your house also helps prevent lung cancer. Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW or visit CDC.gov/quit for free support and resources to help you quit smoking.
