Radon: Protect Your Home from This Invisible Danger
All About Radon
Radon is a silent danger that could be in your home right now, and you wouldn’t even know it. This invisible gas has no smell, taste, or color, but it can be harmful to your health over time.
The good news is that you can protect yourself and your family by learning about radon, testing your home, and taking action if needed.
Let’s explore what radon is, why it’s dangerous, and how you can stay safe!
What is Radon?
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer ¹. You can’t see, smell, or taste radon, but breathing it in over time can damage your lungs. Most radon exposure happens indoors in places like homes, schools, and offices.
Because radon is a natural gas that comes from rocks and soil, it can seep into buildings through cracks in floors or walls, gaps in foundations, or around pipes. Levels are often highest in basements or crawl spaces because they are closest to the ground.
Lung Cancer and Radon
Lung cancer happens when cells in the lungs grow out of control. Radon gives off tiny radioactive particles that can harm lung cells, making them more likely to grow out of control and cause lung cancer. It’s one of the leading causes of lung cancer, especially for people who don’t smoke.
Radon is riskier for people who smoke because smoking already damages the lungs, and radon adds to that damage. In fact, smokers are estimated to be 25 times more at risk from radon than non-smokers ².
To find lung cancer, doctors use imaging tests like CT scans and confirm it with a biopsy. One common biopsy is a bronchoscopy, where a doctor uses a tiny flexible tube to look inside the lungs and collect tissue samples.
At HNL Lab Medicine, pathologists, who are specially trained doctors, study these tissue samples. Their team uses microscopes to look for cancer and write a detailed pathology report. This report helps your doctor choose the best treatment for you, which might include surgery, chemotherapy, or other therapies. Read our blog about lung cancer here.
Protecting Yourself
The amount of radon in a home depends on the rock and soil in the area, so levels can be different even in the same neighborhood. Testing for radon and fixing high levels can help keep people safe.
The only way to know if your home has high radon levels is to test for it. You can buy an easy test kit at a hardware store or hire a certified testing company. If your test shows high levels of radon, and a second test confirms the result, you’ll need a radon reduction system.
Radon reduction systems safely remove radon gas from your home. This keeps the air you breathe safe and healthy.
A certified contractor can install the system in less than a day and test again afterward to make sure it’s working to lower the radon levels in your home.
Free Radon Testing in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania has one of the most serious radon problems in the United States. Approximately 40% of Pennsylvania homes have high radon levels ³.
- In 2024, the American Lung Association and Protect Environmental partnered with RAdata Analytical Lab to provide free radon test kits to homeowners in select communities across our country. You can also use this tool to check the average radon levels in your area.
- The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the American Lung Association also partnered in 2024 to offer a limited number of free radon test kits to PA residents. Read more here to order your free test kit while supplies last.
About HNL Lab Medicine
HNL Lab Medicine wants to raise awareness about the health concerns that impact our community. We care about radon because it’s a serious environmental health concern that can lead to lung cancer without preventative measures.
By studying samples from patients, our pathologists can help diagnose lung cancer early. Early diagnosis improves health outcomes and helps doctors create the best treatment plans for their patients.
Talk to your healthcare provider about your risk factors and any concerns about your radon exposure over time, especially if you smoke, to see if preventative screening is appropriate for you.
Preventative measures like raising awareness, home testing and mitigation, and preventative health screenings when indicated can help save lives. You can help us raise awareness of radon by sharing this information with your friends and loved ones. Together, we can protect our community from the hidden dangers of radon.
REFERENCES
¹ U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2024, November 20). Radon. https://www.epa.gov/radon.
² World Health Organization. (2023, January 25). Radon. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/radon-and-health.
³ Department of Environmental Protection. (2024). Radon in the home. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. https://www.dep.pa.gov/Business/RadiationProtection/RadonDivision/pages/radon-in-the-home.aspx.