A Citizen’s Guide To Radon - The Guide To Protecting Yourself And Your Family From Radon

Oct 4, 2026

A Citizen’s Guide To Radon explains radon as a cancer-causing, radioactive gas that cannot be seen, smelled, or tasted, yet can enter homes and build up to harmful levels. The guide highlights health risk, notes radon is a leading lung cancer cause after smoking, and advises testing as the only reliable way to know risk. It outlines actions: test your home, fix radon levels at 4 pCi/L or higher, and describes reduction and radon-resistant construction. It also explains how radon enters through building openings and provides practical testing guidance.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

AccessFree to download

Overview

What radon is and why it matters

How radon gets into your home

How to test your home

[EPA 402/K-09/001 | January 2009 | www.epa.gov/radon](EPA 402/K-09/001 | January 2009 | www.epa.gov/radon) A Citizen’s Guide To Radon The Guide To Protecting Yourself And Your Family From Radon Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) EPA Recommends: Radon is estimated to cause thousands of lung cancer deaths in the U.S. each year. 􀀙 Test your home for radon—it’s easy and inexpensive. 􀀙 Fix your home if your radon level is 4 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) or higher. 􀀙 Radon levels less than 4 pCi/L still pose a risk, and in many cases may be reduced. 30,000 deaths per year 10,000 | 21,000 | | 17,400 | | 8,000 | | | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 3,900 | | 2,800 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | RADON* Drunk Driving Falls in the Home Drownings Home Fires *Radon is estimated to cause about 21,000 lung cancer deaths per year, according to EPA’s 2003 Assessment of Risks from Radon in Homes (EPA 402-R-03-003). The numbers of deaths from other causes are taken from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 1999-2001 National Center for Injury Prevention and Control Report and 2002 National Safety Council Reports. 2 A Citizen’s Guide To Radon l The Guide To ProTecTinG Yourself And Your fAmilY from rAdon OVERVIEW Radon is a cancer-causing, radioactive gas. You can’t see radon. And you can’t smell it or taste it. But it may be a problem in your home. Radon is estimated to cause many thousands of deaths each year. That’s because when you breathe air containing radon, you can get lung cancer. In fact, the Surgeon General has warned that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States today. Only smoking causes more lung cancer deaths. If you smoke and your home has high radon levels, your risk of lung cancer is especially high. Radon can be found allover the U.S. Radon comes from the natural (radioactive) breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water and gets into the air you breathe. Radon can be found all over the U.S. It can get into any type of building—homes, offices, and schools—and result in a high indoor radon level. But you and your family are most likely to get your greatest exposure at home, where you spend most of your time. You should test for radon. Testing is the only way to know if you and your family are at risk from radon. EPA and the Surgeon General recommend testing all homes below the third floor for radon. EPA also recommends testing in schools. Testing is inexpensive and easy—it should only take a few minutes of your time. Millions of Americans have already tested their homes for radon (see page 5) . You can fix a radon problem. Radon reduction systems work and they are not too costly. Some radon reduction systems can reduce radon levels in your home by up to 99% . Even very high levels can be reduced to acceptable levels. New homes can be built with radon-resistant features. Radon-resistant construction techniques can be effective in preventing radon entry. When installed properly and completely, these simple and inexpensive techniques can help reduce indoor radon levels in homes. In addition, installing them at the time of construction makes it easier and less expensive to reduce radon levels further if these passive techniques don’t reduce radon levels to below 4 pCi/L. Every new home should be tested after occupancy, even if it was built radonresistant. If radon levels are still in excess of 4 pCi/L, the passive system should be activated by having a qualified mitigator install a vent fan. For more explanation of radon resistant construction techniques, refer to EPA publication, Building Radon Out: A Step-by-Step Guide on How to Build Radon-Resistant Homes (see page 15) . A Citizen’s Guide To Radon l The Guide To ProTecTinG Yourself And Your fAmilY from rAdon 3 HOW DOES R

FAQs

Why is radon dangerous?

Radon is a cancer-causing, radioactive gas. When you breathe air containing radon, you can get lung cancer.

How can you tell if your home has a radon problem?

Testing is the only way to know if you and your family are at risk. EPA and the Surgeon General recommend testing homes below the third floor.

What should you do if your radon level is 4 pCi/L or higher?

Fix your home by using radon reduction systems. Radon reduction works and can lower radon levels, and new homes can be built with radon-resistant features.

Oct 4, 2026

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