Radon is an odorless, tasteless, and colorless gas
Radon is an odorless, tasteless, and colorless gas formed by the natural radioactive breakdown of uranium in soil, rock, and water. Radon is all around us. The radon outdoors is diluted by fresh air, but radon can penetrate any type of building, become trapped, and can increase to high levels.
Radon gas decays into radioactive particles that can get trapped in your lungs when you breathe the air around you. As these particles break down further, they release small bursts of energy. This can damage lung tissue and lead to lung cancer over the course of a lifetime. The only way to know the radon concentration in your home is to conduct a test!
- Radon is the number one cause of lung cancer among non-smokers.
- Radon is an invisible, odorless, and tasteless gas, with no immediate health symptoms.
- 1 in every 15 homes Nationwide have a high radon level at or above the recommended radon action level of 4 pCi/L.
- More than 20,000 Americans die of radon-related lung cancer every year.
- Testing for radon is simple and inexpensive. If high levels of radon are found, you can fix your home.
- Test your home for radon every two years, and retest any time you move, make structural changes to your home, or occupy a previously unused level of a house.
- Surgeon General Advisory: “Indoor radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the United States and breathing it over prolonged periods can present a significant health risk to families all over the country. It’s important to know that this threat is completely preventable. Radon can be detected with a simple test and fixed through well-established venting techniques.”
- In New Jersey, 1 in every 6 homes has a high radon level at or above the recommended radon action level of 4 pCi/L.