Smoking and Radon
People who smoke and are exposed to radon are at a greater risk of developing lung cancer. EPA recommends taking action to reduce radon in homes that have a radon level at or above 4 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) of air (a “picocurie” is a common unit for measuring the amount of radioactivity).
The chances of getting lung cancer are higher if your home has elevated radon levels and you smoke or burn fuels that increase indoor particles. For more information, please see Health Risks of Radon.
Your chances of getting lung cancer from radon depend mostly on:
• How much radon is in your home–the location
where you spend most of your time (e.g. the
main living and sleeping areas).
• The amount of time you spend in your home.
• Whether you are a smoker or have ever
smoked.
• Whether you burn wood, coal, or other
substances that add particles to the
indoor air.
For more information on cigarette smoking and radiation, click here.
Protect Yourself and Your Family from Radon
Having your home tested is the only effective way to determine whether you and your family are exposed to high levels of radon. The U.S. Surgeon General recommends ALL homes be tested for radon gas.
Steps you can take to measure and reduce radon levels include:
• Purchasing a radon test kit.
• Where to get a radon test kit.
• Testing your home or office.
• Testing is inexpensive and easy — it should
only take a few minutes of your time. It requires opening a package and placing a small measuring device in a room and leaving it there for the desired period. Short-term testing can take from a few days to 90 days. Long-term testing takes more than 90 days. The longer the test, the more relevant the results are to your home and lifestyle.
• Sending the kit to appropriate sources to
determine radon level.
• Follow the directions on the test kit packaging
to find out where to send the device to get the
results.
• Fixing your home if radon levels are high
• How to fix your home if radon levels are high
pdf [Consumers Guide To Radon].
CDC worked with EPA to produce the booklet A Citizen’s Guide to Radon: The Guide to Protecting Yourself and Family from Radon pdf icon [PDF – 713kb] external icon. Over the years, federal, state, and local agencies have used this citizen’s guide to alert and to inform people about residential radon risks.
The publication includes information about the following:
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How a Radon Test Kit Works
When selecting a radon test kit, EPA recommends that you contact your state radon officeexternal icon for help in finding the radon kit that would work best for your home. You can measure radon levels in your home in two ways: short-term testing and long-term testing.
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Please contact the EPA hotline at 1 800 767-7236 for more information on short and long term test kits and how you can obtain a kit.
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