Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that you can't see, taste, or smell. It is measured in picocuries per liter (pCi/L) of air. The radon gas from the soil can enter a home or building through dirt floors, hollow-block walls, cracks in the foundation floor and walls, and openings around floor drains, pipes, and sump pumps. EPA recommends that action be taken to reduce radon levels if the estimated annual average is 4 pCi/L or higher.

 

Radon is more concentrated in the lower levels of the home (that is, basements, ground floors, and first floors). Radon problems have been identified in every state. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that one in 15 homes in the United States has an elevated radon level (4 pCi/L or more). You can't know if you have a radon problem unless you test.

 

Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer, estimated to cause between 15,000 and 22,000 lung cancer deaths every year. Radon gas decays into radioactive particles that can get trapped in your lungs when you breathe. As they break down further, these particles release small bursts of energy. This can damage lung tissue and lead to lung cancer over the course of your lifetime.

 

National Radon Program Services Information Sheet

 

---

EPA and Partners Announce National Plan to Prevent Lung Cancer Deaths Due to Radon Exposure

November 10, 2015 - The National Radon Action Plan: A Strategy for Saving Lives sets out strategies to drive the changes needed to reduce exposure to radon.  Strategies include requiring radon testing and reduction systems as a standard practice in housing finance and insurance programs, and institutionalizing radon risk reduction through building code requirements.

The collaborative strategy announced today aligns federal efforts with those of other national organizations dedicated to lowering radon exposure:  the American Lung Association (ALA), American Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists (AARST), the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI), Cancer Survivors Against Radon (CanSAR), the Children’s Environmental Health Network (CEHN), Citizens for Radioactive Radon Reduction, the Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors (CRCPD), the Environmental Law Institute (ELI), and the National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH). In addition to EPA, the federal partners are the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The new National Plan can be found at http://www.epa.gov/radon/national-radon-action-plan-strategy-saving-lives.