Radon is something many people have heard of but\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0know much\u00a0about.\u00a0Read on to learn more about\u00a0what it is and why it matters.\u00a0At the end\u00a0is a list of resources\u00a0and information about\u00a0getting\u00a0free test kits.<\/p>\n
What is radon?<\/strong> How is radon related to health?<\/strong> How do I know if my home has high radon levels?<\/strong> Testing is simple and inexpensive.\u00a0You can:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Radon test kits\u00a0are available at many local health departments, hardware stores,\u00a0home improvement stores, and other retailers.<\/span>\u00a0You can\u00a0<\/span>order a test kit here.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n What do results\u00a0mean?<\/strong> What do I do if my home has\u00a0high levels\u00a0of radon?<\/strong> This information\u00a0comes\u00a0from\u00a0the\u00a0<\/span>American Lung Association<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0<\/span>Environmental Protection Agency<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Environmental Protection Agency At the EPA\u2019s National Radon Action Month <\/a>page, learn about testing your home<\/a> and find EPA’s free radon publications<\/a>, including Basic Radon Facts <\/em><\/a>and A Citizen’s Guide to Radon: The Guide to Protecting Yourself and Your Family from Radon<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n American Lung Association At the ALA Radon<\/em><\/a> page, order a radon test kit,<\/a> learn about radon testing disparities,<\/a> and watch a short (under two minutes) video about radon and lung health, available in English and Spanish. You can also take Radon Basics<\/a>, a free one-hour interactive online learning program.<\/p>\n National Cancer Institute National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences PubMed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Health professionals, check out CDC\u2019s Radon Communications Toolkit<\/a>, which includes shareable social media messages, shareable images, and print materials such as the Talk to Your Patients About Radon<\/em><\/a> decision tree and the Test Your Home for Radon<\/em><\/a> factsheet.<\/p>\n Free radon test kits are often available through state or local public health departments, especially during the month of January<\/strong>. Check with your local or state public health department or state radon office to see what free test kits are offered. Find your state radon office here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Radon is something many people have heard of but\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0know much\u00a0about.\u00a0Read on to learn more about\u00a0what it is and why it matters.\u00a0At the end\u00a0is a list of resources\u00a0and information about\u00a0getting\u00a0free test kits. What is radon? Radon is\u00a0a\u00a0radioactive gas that comes from\u00a0soil, rocks, and water.\u00a0You cannot see, taste, or smell it. Radon can enter a building through… Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2968,"featured_media":16827,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[151],"tags":[384],"class_list":["post-16826","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-national-radon-action-month"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/news.nnlm.gov\/region_6\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/01\/Radon-Action-Month.png?fit=936%2C702&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8NC9K-4no","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.nnlm.gov\/region_6\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16826","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.nnlm.gov\/region_6\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.nnlm.gov\/region_6\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.nnlm.gov\/region_6\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2968"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.nnlm.gov\/region_6\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16826"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/news.nnlm.gov\/region_6\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16826\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16836,"href":"https:\/\/news.nnlm.gov\/region_6\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16826\/revisions\/16836"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.nnlm.gov\/region_6\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16827"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.nnlm.gov\/region_6\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16826"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.nnlm.gov\/region_6\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16826"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.nnlm.gov\/region_6\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16826"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n<\/span>Radon is\u00a0a\u00a0radioactive gas that comes from\u00a0<\/span>soil, rocks, and water<\/span>.\u00a0You cannot see, taste, or smell it. Radon can enter a building through cracks in walls, basement floors, foundations, and other openings, and in some cases through well water.\u00a0The\u00a0EPA estimates that 1 in 15 homes in the US have\u00a0high levels\u00a0of radon.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/span>Exposure to\u00a0high levels\u00a0of radon can cause lung cancer.\u00a0<\/span>Radon exposure is the leading cause of lung cancer\u00a0for people who\u00a0have never\u00a0smoked.\u00a0<\/span>People who smoke\u00a0and are\u00a0exposed to radon are at an even greater risk of lung cancer.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/span>The\u00a0only way to know if a home has\u00a0high\u00a0radon levels\u00a0is by testing, because radon can be present at\u00a0high levels\u00a0in any state,\u00a0and even vary between neighboring houses.\u00a0Any home may have high radon levels, whether the home is new or old,\u00a0well-sealed\u00a0or drafty, and\u00a0whether\u00a0it\u00a0has a\u00a0basement\u00a0or not.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n
\n<\/span>Radon is measured in\u00a0picocuries per liter (pCi\/L)\u00a0of air.\u00a0<\/span>The EPA recommends<\/span><\/a>\u00a0reducing\u00a0radon if levels are 4.0\u00a0pCi\/L or higher and considering reducing radon if levels are between 2.0 and 4.0\u00a0pCi\/L.\u00a0The\u00a0goal\u00a0is to lower radon to the lowest level possible.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/span>You can reduce and prevent radon problems by:\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n
Resources<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\n<\/strong>The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Radon<\/em><\/a> page hosts information ranging from the basics to more specialized, in-depth information. Learn about the health risks of radon<\/a>, read about how to reduce your risk and exposure to radon<\/a>, and view frequently asked questions.<\/a> Find guidance for schools<\/a>, the real estate community<\/a>, and new homebuilders<\/a>. You can also find standards of practice for radon professionals<\/a>, the National Radon Action Plan<\/a>, and information on state and tribal indoor radon grants.<\/a><\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The American Lung Association<\/a> (ALA) has a wealth of information about radon. Find radon resources for health professionals<\/a> (including a video, a decision support tool, and patient handouts), real estate professionals,<\/a> people who work in schools<\/a>, and advocates and decision makers.<\/a><\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The National Cancer Institute\u2019s Radon and Cancer<\/em><\/a> page includes questions and answers about the link between radon and cancer.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences<\/a> (NIEHS) supports research on exposure to radon, its health effects, and ways to raise community awareness of radon risk. Scroll down the NIEHS Radon<\/em><\/a> page to learn about the research supported by NIEHS.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>For those wanting to explore the research literature further, head over to PubMed<\/a>. Radon <\/em>is a MeSH term. Enter radon <\/em>in the main search box or find it the MeSH database<\/a>, where you can add it to your search builder with subheadings and see where it is located on the MeSH tree.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>CDC has designated January 26-30, 2026 as Radon Awareness Week<\/a>. This year\u2019s theme is \u201cWhat\u2019s Your Radon Story?\u201d Each day of the week will feature facts about radon with related graphics, social media messages, and a highlighted radon story.<\/p>\nFree Test Kits<\/strong><\/h4>\n