You’d think that if a dangerous, radioactive gas was lurking in your home, endangering the health of your family, you’d notice it right away. But radon doesn’t announce itself with an odd smell or weird taste. It quietly accumulates inside your home. 

But since everything ‘seems fine’, most families never ask what is radon, or realize that it can build-up indoors without being detected! 

What is Radon: Understanding the Invisible Threat to Your Home and Family

When elements like uranium, thorium, and radium break down naturally in the soil, rock, and water, they release a dangerous radioactive gas called radon. Since such decay is natural, radon is present in trace amounts outdoors, where it’s generally harmless. 

So, you may ask why is radon in homes a problem for your family when it’s not a concern outdoors? Well, radon dilutes quickly outdoors. But in enclosed spaces like homes, radon can accumulate to high levels due to lack of ventilation.

In fact, WHO says that the average radon levels outdoors vary from 5 Bq/m3 to 15 Bq/m3, while in indoor settings, radon levels can range from 10 Bq/m3 to more than 10 000 Bq/m3.But if radon levels indoors can be so high, why do so many families miss this radioactive threat?

For starters, radon is invisible and odorless. This means you can’t see, smell, or taste it!

So, radon may be present in your home for years, quietly harming the long-term health of your family, without you realizing its presence. And because of its invisible nature, there is no way of knowing about the presence of radon in your home without proper professional testing. 

How Can Radon Enter Your Home?

Understanding what is radon is not enough. To protect your family against it, you also need to know how this invisible threat enters into your home. 

Since uranium breaks down in the ground, radon moves up through ground levels, entering homes through:

• Cracks in the foundation 
• Wall cavities and slump pumps
• Gaps around pipes and utility lines
• Construction joints

The concentration of radon in your home depends on various things like the building materials used, the soil in the area, and ventilation levels. 

Why is Radon So Dangerous for Your Family?

If you have an allergic reaction to a food, your body develops hives. Similarly, if there is mold in the air, your kids might start sneezing or coughing or experience eye irritation. But when it comes to radon, there are no early radon exposure symptoms you can watch for.

Radon exposure symptoms don’t show up as headaches, skin irritation, or breathing problems. In fact, most people don’t experience any immediate symptoms at all - even as radon levels in their homes become dangerously high. 

Radon testing, therefore, is the only way to protect yourself and your family from its dangerous effects.

What are the Health Risks of Radon for Your Family?

When radon gas is inhaled and enters the lungs, it starts decaying further, releasing radioactive particles inside the body. This radiation gets absorbed by the lung tissue. Over time, prolonged exposure to radon can damage the DNA of lung cells, increasing the risk of lung cancer gradually. 

That’s why, radon is the second leading cause of cancer in the U.S. after smoking, responsible for an estimated 21,000 deaths each year, according to the EPA.

Smokers face a higher risk, with the WHO estimating they are up to 25 times more at risk for developing radon-related lung cancer than non-smokers. So, if any one in your family smokes, high levels of radon inside the home may increase their risk for lung cancer. 

But non-smokers aren’t safe either. The National Cancer Institute estimates that about 10% of radon-related cancer deaths occur among non-smokers. EPA puts it as the no. 1 cause of lung cancer among non-smokers.  

What are Safe Radon Levels for Homes: A Look at EPA Guidelines

You might be wondering, ‘How much radon is too much radon?’ The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says if radon levels are 4 pCi/L or higher, you need to take action.  

So, does this mean radon levels lower than 4 pCi/L are safe for your family? Well, not really. Sustained exposure to even low levels of radon at home can add up over time, leading to lung issues in the long-run. 

Let’s breakdown what the EPA’s guidelines on radon levels say:

Is the Location of Your Home Increasing Radon Risk for Your Family?  

In 1993, the EPA developed a Map of Radon Zones that identifies areas in the U.S. with the potential for high radon levels indoor. For this, the EPA used data on the following factors:

As one Reddit user shared, the home he grew up in tested with high radon levels in his teens. Some 20+ years later, his non-smoker brother ended-up with lung cancer.

• Indoor radon measurements
• Geology
• Soil parameters
• Aerial radioactivity 
• Foundation types

Based on these factors, the EPA classifies areas into three zones:

*Not a complete list. Zone information varies by county even within the same state. 

But does this mean your family is safe if you don’t live these states or counties. Not exactly. 

You see radon levels can vary significantly between homes, even on the same street! That’s not all, radon levels can vary from day to day and even hour to hour. Since your family spends a lot of time indoors with the doors closed, even small levels can add up over time.

So, the point is, no matter where your home is located, it’s age, or type of construction, the only way to know radon levels at home is testing.

How to Test for Radon in Your Home?

When testing for radon at home, you should know a few things. For starters, you have two options to test for radon levels. You can either choose:

1. DIY tests
2. Professional tests

Let's Understand both-

1. Buy a DIY Radon Test Kit 

You can find DIY radon test kit at your local hardware store or simply buy one online. Typically, you have to place these radon test kits at the lowest lived-in areas of your home, like your basement, to collect air samples. Once that’s done, you have to send the sample to the lab for analysis. 

There are two kinds of DIY radon test kits available:

• Short-Term Radon Testing Kits: These tests measure radon levels in your home for a period of 2-7 days. Since short-term radon test kits have a brief window of recording, you can use them for initial screening.
• Long-Term Radon Testing Kits: These tests measure radon levels in your home over more than 90 days to give you a better understanding of radon exposure.  
  

2. Hire a Certified Radon Professional 

DIY radon test kits may be a great starting point. But if you want a more comprehensive assessment and results you can trust, you can hire a certified radon testing professional. 

If you’re living in Aspen or Minneapolis, you can get in touch with InHaus Lab, the home health assessment partner trusted by families. We’ll come in and conduct a full Home Health Audit for your home to bring you a personalized Home Health Score, giving you a clear idea of how safe your home really is. 

Get in touch with InHaus Lab and get a Quote in 30 minutes 

When Should You Turn to Professional Help?

If your DIY radon testing reveals levels of 4 pCi/L or higher, you don’t have to panic. 

The EPA covers what you need to do in these situations. In this case, you have to call a licensed radon testing and mitigation professional like InHaus Lab. We will comprehensively assess your home and list out the next steps.

Ways to Reduce Radon Levels At Home

Reducing radon levels at home isn’t as difficult as you think. Here’s a list of steps you can take to reduce radon levels at home to keep your family safe in the long-run: 

• Install a Radon Mitigation System: This is the most effective way of reducing radon at home. A sub-slab depressurization system uses a pipe to suck out radon from beneath your home and release it outside.

• Improve Ventilation: Another easy way is to improve air circulation at home to dilute radon levels, especially in areas like crawl spaces and basements. 

• Seal Entry Points: You can also try to tackle radon at the source. This means sealing cracks in the foundation, walls, floors, and around pipes to prevent the gas from entering indoors.

Lastly, don’t forget to test radon levels at home again to see how these mitigation strategies are working!

Don’t Let Radon Gas Be a Silent Threat to Your Loved Ones - Take Action Today

The important thing to remember is that you can protect your family from the invisible radon threat and its long-term health implications. Take action today to test and mitigate radon levels at home to make it a safe and healthy space for you and your loved ones.

Give us a call to book your comprehensive Home Health Assessment today with InHaus Lab and get clear, science-backed answers.

FAQs on What is Radon 

1. How often should I test my home for radon?

The EPA recommends testing radon levels at home every 2 years. But you may consider more frequent radon testing if:

• You live in a high exposure area
• Your previous radon test recorded higher radon levels than what the EPA recommends

2. Can there be radon in my drinking water?

Yes. But the levels of radon present can vary based on the source of the water. For instance, drinking water obtained from ground water sources (like well) tend to have higher levels of radon than water sourced from surface sources like reservoirs and lakes. The WHO recommends levels be set in accordance with the national guidelines on radon levels in the air. 

3. How will I know if I should get my home professionally tested for radon?

Professional radon testing is recommended in the following instances:

• When you have never tested your home for radon 
• When you are conducting a property inspection before selling/buying a home
• When initial radon levels are at 4 pCi/L or higher
• When you’ve just renovated the basement, HVAC system, or had some foundation work done.
• When you’ve shifted to using the basement or lower levels of your home more frequently.

4. Should I choose a DIY radon test kit or go for professional testing?

While the choice depends on your preference, a DIY radon test may be better if you’re doing an initial check and are looking for an easy to set-up, quick test. 

Professional radon is recommended if you live in high radon areas or if you’re buying/selling a home. In such cases, accuracy is important and certified technicians help take care of that. 

5. How can I protect my family from radon?

You can protect your family from the invisible threat of radon through testing. Since radon is a colourless, odorless, and tasteless gas, you cannot know its presence unless you test for it. That’s why, you should get your home tested with a DIY test kit or a professional (for more comprehensive and credible assessment).

6. How much will radon testing cost me?

DIY radon test kits can cost about $30-$50 on average, while professional testing will cost you a bit more but give you more comprehensive results. At InHaus Lab, radon testing is part of our comprehensive Home Health Assessment study, which starts from $1,200. 

7. Is it worth testing for radon in 2026?

Yes. The U.S. EPA lists radon as the 2nd leading cause of lung cancer, responsible for an estimated 21,000 deaths in the country every year. While smokers are more at risk, radon exposure can also cause cancer among non-smokers. Moreover, as per studies, prolonged exposure to even low levels of radon can accumulate in your body and lead to long-term health problems. 

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References:

• World Health Organization

• National Institute of Environmental Sciences

• Environmental Protection Agency

• National Cancer Institute