Free, public research on radon, lung cancer and mitigation from the EPA, the National Academies, the WHO, NIH, CDC and Utah health agencies, with short plain-English summaries.
About these summaries: Each summary below is written by us in our own words and is not a quote or an official abstract. Every title links to the original source, which is free to read. For medical questions, talk to your doctor.
This is the EPA's main estimate of how many U.S. lung cancer deaths are tied to radon at home. Building on the BEIR VI miner models, EPA estimated that about 21,100 of the nation's lung cancer deaths in 1995 were radon related. It also estimates lifetime risk at the 4 pCi/L action level, and that risk is far higher for people who have ever smoked.
A National Academies committee pooled data from 11 groups of underground miners to model lung cancer risk from radon and applied it to home exposure. Its main takeaway, later adopted by the EPA, is that radon ranks second only to smoking as a cause of lung cancer. The whole book can be read online at no cost.
Researchers combined 13 studies from nine European countries, covering more than 7,000 people with lung cancer and over 14,000 without it. Lung cancer risk rose steadily as measured home radon went up, with no sign of a safe threshold, and the effect held even in homes under the common action levels. Smokers faced much higher absolute risk at any radon level.
This project pooled original data from seven North American studies that used long-term radon detectors in homes. The odds of lung cancer went up as home radon went up, and the size of the effect lined up with what earlier miner studies predicted. The authors describe it as direct evidence linking home radon to lung cancer.
The WHO's handbook looks at radon in homes as a public health problem and gives recommendations for lowering risk. It covers measurement, prevention in new construction and fixes for existing buildings, and is written for national radon programs and building professionals.
A short WHO summary of what radon is and why it matters. WHO estimates radon causes between 3% and 14% of lung cancers in a country, depending on local radon levels and smoking rates, and notes that proven, cost-efficient methods exist to keep radon out of new and existing buildings.
NCI explains how radon gets into homes and how its decay particles damage lung cells. It identifies lung cancer as the only cancer proven to be linked to breathing radon, and cites estimates of 15,000 to 22,000 U.S. lung cancer deaths a year related to radon.
CDC's overview says there is no known safe level of radon and that it is the second leading cause of lung cancer deaths in the U.S. after smoking. It walks through testing, why repairs should be done by a qualified professional, and retesting afterward to confirm the fix worked.
The EPA's plain-language guide for homeowners. It recommends testing every home and fixing it at 4 pCi/L or higher, and notes that levels below 4 pCi/L still carry some risk and can often be lowered.
This EPA guide focuses on mitigation itself: how reduction systems work, how to choose a qualified contractor and what to expect. EPA states that some systems can cut indoor radon by up to 99 percent, and that most homes can be fixed for about the cost of other common home repairs.
EPA's county-level map of radon potential, built from indoor measurements, geology and soil data. EPA is clear that the map shouldn't be used to decide whether one particular home needs testing: every home should be tested, wherever it is.
Utah's state radon office reports that 1 in 3 Utah homes have elevated radon. It advises considering mitigation above 4 pCi/L, a long-term test for results between 4 and 6, and retesting every two to five years below 4. You can also search median radon levels by ZIP code there.
Utah County's health department recommends testing at least every five years or after a remodel, and says colder months are the best time to test. It also points residents to discounted test kits through the state and a professional monitor they can borrow from the Provo office.
We connect Utah County homeowners with licensed, NRPP/NRSB-certified local radon contractors. Free, no obligation.