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1. What is radon?

Radon is an odorless, colorless, tasteless gas that is produced by the natural decay of uranium and radium in the soil. Since radon is a gas, it can easily enter homes and other buildings. In outdoor air, radon is diluted to very low levels. Inside of homes, radon may become trapped and buildup to dangerous levels. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends that all homes be tested for radon gas.

2. Is radon dangerous?

Exposure to radon increases your risk of developing lung cancer. It is among the leading causes of lung cancer deaths in the United States, in fact, second only to smoking. The EPA estimates that 14,000 people in the United States die each year from lung cancer due to radon exposure. The EPA recommends that if your home has annual radon concentrations at or above their guideline of 4 picocuries per liter (pCi/l) steps should be taken to reduce the radon level to below 4 pCi/l.

3. Do many homes have high levels of radon?

The EPA estimates that one out of sixteen homes in the U.S. has radon levels above their radon guideline. In general, homes in the Midwest are much more likely to have high radon levels.

4. Why do Minnesota homes have more radon?

One reason is we build most of our homes with basements. Since radon is found in the soil, homes with basements are more likely to have high radon levels. The soil in our state contains widespread low-grade uranium and radium. Approximately one out of every three homes in Minnesota has radon levels above 4 pCi/l. As a result, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) recommends that all homes in our state be tested for radon gas.

5. How does radon enter my home?

Radon can enter a home anywhere there is an opening between the home and the soil as well as through solid material. These openings include dirt floor crawl spaces, cracks in slab-on-grade floors, and concrete block walls. As air is used or exhausted from the home, this "lost" air creates a vacuum (suction) in the home which then pulls in air from the outside. Some of this outside air comes from the soil, which may contain high levels of radon.

6. How can I check my home for radon?

The only way to know the radon level in your home is to test your home. Each home is different, and a neighbor's radon results can't be used to determine if your home has a problem. Homeowners can purchase simple, low-cost radon detectors for use in their homes. The two most common types of radon detectors are long-term (alpha track or electret ion) and short-term (charcoal canisters).

7. Does smoking increase my health risks?

Your family's risk of developing lung cancer from radon depends on several factors, including the average annual level of radon in your home and the amount of time you spend there. The longer your exposure to radon, the greater the risk. The risk is much greater for smokers. Smoking combined with radon exposure greatly increases your risk of lung cancer. Until you can reduce the radon level in your home, do not smoke in the home and ask other people not to smoke while in your home.