Radon Risk: Its Perils Can Be Prevented

Radon Risk: Its Perils Can Be Prevented
Make sure to have your home tested for radon, and also purchase an in-home radon detector. Shutterstock
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If you’re buying a new home, the house may need to be tested for radon, depending on local laws. Although the tests aren’t required everywhere, you should insist on it. You might not be able to see or smell radon, but it can still harm you—slowly, and in ways that you can’t detect.

Radon is a colorless, odorless, radioactive gas. It comes from the natural decay of the radioactive chemical elements uranium or thorium. These elements are found in nearly all soils.

National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
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A part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, NIH is the largest biomedical research agency in the world.
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