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Radon is a common, inert Noble Gas listed on the Periodic Chart of the Elements as Rn222. It is odorless, tasteless, and invisible. It is present in at least 15% of homes and buildings throughout the USA, and it poses a very serious, and very real, health risk. It is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers, and the second leading cause of lung cancer overall, behind smoking. According to the US Surgeon General, more than 22,000 people died due to Radon exposures in 2024. If you have ever smoked, you are 9 times more likely to develop lung cancer given the same exposure to alpha radiation from Radon a non-smoker might receive.

According to the US EPA, every home should be tested. Because of that, and because of a concern for health and safety, most home buyers choose to have a Radon test at the same time as the home inspection. Sellers, on the other hand, are also choosing to have their properties tested independently.

Radon can accurately be detected through proper testing by an NRPP/NRDP Certified and Licensed Radon Measurement Professional. Radon must be mitigated by a certified Radon Mitigation Professional. Each of these professionals are extended educational coursework on the effects, measurement, and mitigation of Radon gas.

Eastern Missouri and Western Illinois have some of the highest Radon potential in the United States. Every property is unique to the geology under it, but It is more likely that homes in this area will find elevated levels. RadonProf.com can help you understand and prioritize home safety with professional Radon measurement services. Each certified inspector utilizes advanced professional equipment to accurately measure current Radon levels in a property, and report those findings to a client, helping them decide whether Radon mitigation is necessary.

For homeowners, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) advises testing your home for Radon every two years. This is crucial since Radon can be present in any home, regardless of location, age, size, or type. No home is completely resistant to Radon exposure, and geology under your house does shift. A Radon test detects even very low levels of Radon, helping homeowners understand the risk a property poses to a family's health.

Radon is created during the natural decay process of the radioactive element Uranium. Each radioactive element decays and becomes a more stable atom. As it decays, it becomes a new element. For example, Uranium decays and becomes Thorium, which then decays and becomes Radium. The element Radium decays and becomes Radon. Radon decay creates the elements Polonium, then Bismuth, and then into the very stable atom, Lead. Where Uranium, Thorium, and Radium have very long decay cycles (Radium's half life is 1,400 years!), Radon's half life is 3.8 days. When these elements decay, they release radioactive particles known as alpha, beta, and gamma radiation. These are the particles that cause cancer. If you live in a building with Radon gas, you breathe that in and during the time you're in the building Radon emits radioactive particles.

Uranium, Radium, Radon. Then, Polonium, Bismuth, and finally, Lead. Each decay process causes the emission of alpha, beta, and gamma radiation, all of which are damaging to human tissues. In the case of Radon, the real culprit is alpha and beta radiation from Radon decay in the lungs. You breathe in Radon gas. You breathe out Radon gas. While Radon in is your lungs, it decays and leaves alpha and beta particles in your lungs. These radiation decay particles bond with lung tissue and cause DNA, chemical and physical changes in lung tissue that causes cancer. We know this through human-based health observations of miners throughout the world. Radon is real. Radon is common. It is held in the geology under your house and can come up through the foundation. Radon seeps into buildings through cracks and openings in the foundation. While its health risks are alarming, the good news is that high radon levels can be effectively reduced with proper cost-effective mitigation measures.

The US EPA Guidance for Radon levels in the country is to mitigate radon concentrations that are over 4 picocuries per liter of air in a given space. A picocurie is a very small amount of radiation that can do very big damage. Radon mitigation is not difficult and in most cases, not expensive. Mitigation techniques are well understood and materials are common. They should be installed by a licensed installer. Many home environment contractors can do this. They also know where to find them, as do we.

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The State of Illinois requires Radon Inspectors to be professionally trained, certified, and licensed as Radon Measurement Professionals in order to practice. Trainees learn about the physics of Radon and the biology it affects. They learn how much Radon a home can have before residents are in greater health danger.

Radon Inspectors learn how to measure Radon correctly, every time. The US EPA as well as the State of Illinois have very precise rules regarding effective testing for Radon. Protocols are set, and the standards are followed every time. Every Radon tester and testing company has to keep track of its measurements and compare them against known lab levels so every measure is exactly correct, and if it isn't, we find out why, and follow protocols for retesting. Every company and tester keeps statistical quality control charts so every test result is precisely accurate, and every test is reliable, before and after mitigation. Human health is that important. The EPA feels the danger from Radon is high enough that strict quality controls are set.

RadonProf.com works with precision equipment and specializes in continuous measurement. Consider the images to the right. On the top right are continuous monitors. The are deployed in buildings, schools, and homes for as little as 48 hours and for as much as a year. They measure Radon levels in real time, and give Radon level readings hourly. These are perfect for real estate transfers, and for longer term testing by homeowners because they reveal hourly fluctuations in Radon levels. These levels fluctuate with temperature, air pressure, barometric pressure, humidity, weather, storms, and wind.

On the bottom right, are cross-section measures made from activated charcoal. These are different because they measure the highest Radon level in a property over a period of time. This is called Radon potential. These tests are deployed on the lowest occupied or occupiable level in house in sets of two. Over a 48 - 72 hour period they register the highest level of Radon for that time period. These tell home buyers and sellers what the highest Radon level was during the testing period. These do not measure variation.

The potential level of 4 picocuries in a liter of air or higher is a level that should be mitigated. A picocurie is 1 trillionth of a gram of Radium. More than 4 trillionths of a gram causes lung cancer.

What about Radon kits at the Home Center Store?

Why use a professional measurement when measurement kits are available in the home center store? Those tests are generally not as accurate as could be, and they are not deployed under controlled conditions. A Realtor cannot say a Radon level is accurate unless the measures are professionally done. We do not encourage anyone to rely on Radon test kits from the Home Center Store. They are meant to be purchased, and not relied upon. That's the limit of their use. On the surface, the kits do offer some sound measurement potential. The trouble is that the deployment, instructions, and the accuracy always vary from what EPA protocols require. Homeowners introduce all sorts of measurement inconsistencies. This eliminates the usefulness of the test in most cases.

You'll also see phone apps, and handheld monitors that alert homeowners to spikes in Radon levels. They encourage homeowners to be hypervigilant to levels and spikes. Their marketing message is that Radon infusion into the air can be controlled if swift action is taken if there's a variation. It can't. Radon mitigation doesn't work that way. Radon levels can't be controlled through real-time vigilance. Only mitigation of Radon levels can do that, but the base rate needs to be understood. Mitigation needs to occur, and a follow up test of the same type, in equivalent conditions needs to be repeated.

Radon mitigation works. The equipment is simple, and it is affordable. There are different methods, and each home should be matched to the method that works best for the structure. Once that equipment is installed, it has to stay on all the time. Radon levels will decline. Remember, Radon can be effectively mitigated. It's possible to lower Radon levels to ensure better safety.