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Is radon in your home? What you need to know

| Healthy You | Safety

Kneeling man works to seal cracks in floor of basement

Learn how to protect yourself and your loved ones from this harmful odorless, tasteless, invisible gas.

How much radon is in your home?

Many of us know very little about this gas. And in this case, what we don’t know can hurt us.

One of the biggest dangers radon poses is to your lungs. Experts say it’s responsible for 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year. There’s also research underway to see if radon exposure causes other health concerns such as gestational diabetes.

What is radon?

Radon is a naturally occurring gas. It’s the radioactive decay of radium, a chemical element in soil, rocks and water.

You can’t see it, smell it or taste it.

It’s found everywhere, though some areas of the country or world have higher concentrations of radon than others. You can see them in this map of radon concentrations by state from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Radon can seep up into buildings through cracks or other openings in the foundation, floor and basement. Once inside, it can get trapped and affect the quality of your indoor air.

How much radon is in a building depends on many factors, such as: 

  • How much radon is in the ground.
  • How easy it is for air to move through the soil under the building.
  • How many ways air can get into the building (cracks, open sumps, floor joists, exposed soil, etc.).

Check your state radon program for more information about radon in your area:

Testing for radon

Even if you’re in an area where radon concentrations are lower, every home is different. 

That’s why radon testing and reduction plans often happen as part of selling or buying a home. But you can take action to reduce your exposure to this gas at any time.

The first is to answer this question: How much radon is in your home?

You can buy an inexpensive test kit online or at your local hardware store. Or you can hire a company to test for it.

Generally, a short-term kit takes two to five days to collect a sample of the air in your home. You send the sample to a lab that will return your results in five to seven days. Long-term kits are also available to test over a period of months. Short-term kits are good for a brief snapshot. Long-term kits better account for fluctuations over time.

One thing to note: Radon is not the same as carbon monoxide. Both are dangerous, invisible gases, but you can use a carbon monoxide detector to keep tabs on levels of this gas in your home. Learn more about carbon monoxide.

Steps after testing

Your next step will depend on the results of your radon test.

If levels are low, plan to check your home again every two years since radon levels can fluctuate. This can be due to the environment or changes in your house. For example, you might see a difference after adding insulation, updating windows or changing your heating/cooling system.

If radon levels are high, you’ll want to take steps to reduce those levels. Often the best approach is to hire someone who regularly handles this kind of work. Ask your state radon program for help finding a certified radon specialist in your area.

Reducing radon could involve a few steps. One step might be to seal holes or cracks where the gas might be entering your home. Another fix might be to install a fan to vent the radon out of and away from the house.

Costs to lessen radon levels depend on the size of your home, the area where you live and other considerations unique to your situation. Again, your state radon program can be a helpful resource.

Once fixes are applied, test your house again. Then plan to check again every two years to make sure you don’t need to do anything else to maintain healthy levels.

It’s also good to check radon levels in other buildings where you or your family spend time. Workshops, schools and offices are just a few to keep in mind.

Checking your health

If you’ve been breathing high levels of radon for some time, it might already have an effect on your lung health. But the vast majority of people with lung cancer have no symptoms until the disease is fairly advanced, says Don Berry, MD, a pulmonologist at PeaceHealth in Bellingham.

“I would recommend you talk to your primary care provider about getting screened for lung cancer if you’ve been living in a home with high radon levels,” he says. You will want to verify with your insurance plan what kind of coverage is available for this type of screening.

To the extent there are early signs of lung cancer, these often include:

  • A new cough or a cough that doesn't go away
  • Wheezing
  • Feeling short of breath

If you’ve experienced these symptoms and know that radon is in your home or workplace, talk with your primary care provider. They can help you understand your risk and options for treatment.

portrait of Donald F. Berry MD

Donald F. Berry MD

Pulmonology
Internal Medicine
Sleep Medicine - Internal Medicine

Donald F. Berry MD practices Internal Medicine in Bellingham.