Almost 22 million American homes contain levels of Radon that are excessively high and should be reduced. Many people use air purifiers to remove contaminants from their home, so it’s only natural to think they might be able to help with a radon problem too.
Air purifiers with activated carbon filters can remove some radon gas. However, it’s not possible for air purifiers to physically capture and remove all the radon from a contaminated home. There is a lot of misinformation surrounding air purification and radon on the internet. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does not advocate air purification on its own to reduce radon and its decay products.
This article takes you through why an air purifier alone isn’t an effective radon solution, and ways you can effectively reduce radon in your home.
Radon in our homes
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer. This inert, colorless, and odorless radon gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States.
When uranium, thorium, and radium break down in soil, rock, and water, radon is created. It’s then released into the atmosphere.
Although you can’t see, smell, or taste radon, it can be present in your house at harmful levels.
Plentiful Air has more information on how to remove uranium from your home available here.
We’re generally exposed to radon through the air that enters through cracks and crevices in our homes and places of work. Because radon is a naturally occurring gas, we are constantly exposed to it.
In fact, radon is responsible for almost 40% of all radiation we are exposed to.
While more than 80% of radon comes from the soil, 12% actually comes from building materials.
This means radon can be found in any facility, including your house, school, or business, although our homes are where we are most exposed to its harmful effects because it’s where we spend the bulk of our time.
If you have any suspicions about the presence of radon in your home, you should have it tested.
Why an air purifier can’t remove radon gas
Air purifiers can only remove a small amount of radon because of the type of gas radon is and the type of filters used in air purifiers. Even though air purifiers can remove other contaminants such as mold, dirt, and dust and even some gases.
There is a lot of misinformation surrounding air purification and radon on the internet. However, chemically it’s not possible for air purifiers to capture and remove a large amount radon from the atmosphere.
The ability of an air purifier to remove a contaminant is determined by whether it is meant to remove particles or gases from the air. Most air purifiers are designed to capture airborne particles such as dust or dirt, which is different from capturing gases, such as radon or carbon dioxide.
Air purifiers with activated carbon filters can remove some gases and odors, but these are limited, and can only remove a small amount of radon.
The most cost-effective and efficient strategy to handle indoor air pollution is to decrease or remove preventable sources of pollutants, then expel the unavoidable particles and gases to the outdoors.
Using source-control measures is recommended to prevent radon from entering residential structures.
Active soil depressurization (ASD) is the most effective radon management method (U.S. EPA 2006). By pulling air from beneath the slab/floor and venting it to outside and above your building’s roofline, an ASD system reduces radon intrusion.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Air-purifying equipment can be effective in a total home solution when source reduction and dilution are insufficient.
A variety of air-purifying methods are intended to either eliminate or transform gaseous air contaminants into harmless by-products by using a mix of physical and chemical processes.
Adsorbent media air filters, such as activated carbon, chemisorbent media air filters, photocatalytic oxidation (PCO), plasma, and purposeful ozone generators are sold as air purifiers to remove gases in the air but this doesn’t apply to all gases.
Air purifiers or clearns without specific media, such as activated carbon or alumina, will not remove gaseous contaminants, like radon, or minimize their health impacts.
While there are suggestions an air purifier with an activated carbon filter can remove some radon from the atmosphere, tests have been inconsistent.
However, granulated activated carbon (GAC) filters can successfully remove radon from water.
On the other hand, HEPA filters are completely ineffective against radon elimination, as they’re meant to trap solids (particles) and not gases like radon.
Also note that a dehumidifier cannot reduce radon levels in your home. A dehumidifier is an electrical appliance that operates by collecting water from the air to lower and maintain humidity levels, and has no impact on air contaminants.
How to lower radon levels at home
You can lower radon levels in your home by installing a radon reduction system, which involves building a vent pipe system and using a fan to draw the radon from beneath the house and vent it to the outside, as well as sealing foundation cracks and other openings.
You can also reduce radon levels by increasing air flow in your house by opening windows and utilizing fans and vents to circulate air and fix cracks in floors and walls with plaster, caulk, or other materials developed for the purpose to minimize radon levels.
HVAC systems are helpful at circulating the air and expelling it to the exterior of the home.
Note: The best radon mitigation system depends on the design of your home and whether or not you have a basement.
Unfortunately, the basement is worse because it requires sub-slab depressurization, which involves inserting suction pipes through the floor or concrete slab into the concrete slab beneath the building.
It’s a good idea to test your home again after installing a radon reduction system to make sure it’s working, and consider retesting your home on a regular basis.
How to test your home for radon
If you think you or your family might be exposed to radon, you should test your home.
There are two methods for testing your home for radon contamination:
- Using home test kits.
- Hiring a radon expert to conduct testing for you.
1. How to detect and test for radon gas in your home
Radon detectors and testing kits are the simplest way to know the levels in your home. These can be found in hardware stores or online platforms. They are offered as three types:
- Radon detectors.
- Short-term test kits.
- Long-term test kits.
Radon Detectors – These units provide continuous radon detection data that can be used in any indoor room.
EnvironKlenz (Timilon Technologies) have two excellent Radon detectors that link with your smartphone and can also work seamlessly with Alexa, Google Assistant and IFTTT. The Airthings Wave detects radon only, whereas the Airthings Wave Plus detects for radon and includes sensors for temperature, air pressure, humidity, Total Volotile Orcanic Compounds (TVOCs), and carbon dioxide (CO2).
Short-term kits – These kits monitor radon levels anywhere from 2 to 7 days and provide quick results after you send it in for analysis.
Long-term kits – These monitor radon levels in your home for at least 90 days. The more time you spend on the test, the more accurate the findings will be in reflecting your house’s radon levels.
Once you have a short- or long-term test, you can run your tests easily and in simple steps. To do the test, follow the directions in the user manual.
After conducting the test, you will need to send the kit to a laboratory to establish whether or not there is radon in your home and how much there is because radon levels vary from place to place.
According to the CDC, you can set up and run a test with the kit as follows:
How to use short-term test kits.
- Remove the test kit from the plastic bag.
- In the lowest lived-in section of your home or test location, place the test kit (paper side up) on a flat surface two (2) or more feet above the floor. Kindly read the user manual to be sure you are doing the right thing.
- After the specified time on the manual, send the device to a lab and wait for the results.
Note: Avoid tearing or puncturing the Radon Sampler and during the measuring period, do not disturb the sampler.
How to use long-term test kits.
- Select a testing location. Please refrain from testing in the kitchen, laundry room, bathroom, crawl space, furnace room, or closet.
- Check the expiration date on each device before beginning the radon test to ensure it is not expired, as an expired test kit would produce invalid results.
- Cut or tear open the sealed bag that contains the test kit.
- Do not remove the VOID sticker or open the black plastic housing or results will be invalid.
- At the bottom of these instructions and on the data sheet, write each device number and test address zip code.
- In the exposure period area of the data sheet, provide the start date of the test.
- Each device should be hung or placed at least three feet away from exterior doors or windows and two feet from the ground.
- Write the test Ending Date and other required information on the Data Sheet and send it to the laboratory after at least 91 days. Follow the user manual recommendations.
Note: If the findings show radon levels of 4 pCi/L or more, your home’s radon levels are hazardous and must be decreased.
2. Hiring a licensed Radon specialist
- Request a radon test from a licensed radon specialist.
- If the professional concludes that your Radon levels are high, they will advise you on what action to take. Either by contacting a radon mitigation company to help reduce those levels or ventilating the crawlspace passively, or actively, with the use of a fan.
Note: It is always a good idea to run the radon test just to be on the safer side. For instance, if your home has never been tested or your radon levels are unknown, if you wish to buy or sell a house, and before or after any improvements, particularly radon-reduction repairs.
How radon enters our homes
Radon can enter your home through cracks, dirt, water, and drainage. When radium decays, radon gas is emitted into the surrounding air, earth, or water.
According to the EPA, because radon comes from the natural decay of uranium, which is found in nearly all soils, it flows up from the earth to the air above and into your home through cracks and other gaps in the foundation.
It becomes locked within your home once it enters, where it can build up.
An open drain tile system will allow radon to enter a property more quickly, increasing radon levels. Another way for radon to infiltrate your home is through a sump or basement.
Radon is drawn into living spaces from the soil by pressure variations within the home and between the home and outside environment.
Air distribution systems, like furnaces and air conditioners, distribute the air (and radon) throughout the entire house.
If a radon source is close to the building, the gas easily enters the home and begins to build up. Over time, this raises our risk of lung cancer if the concentrations are high enough.
The normal indoor radon level is around 1.3 picocuries per liter (pCi/L), but we should take steps to reduce radon levels in our homes if they reach 4.0 pCi/L or higher, as this can contribute to lung cancer.
Note: The main source of radon contamination is soil.
Effects of radon
Radon exposure is detrimental to the human body.
Lung cancer is the most common, long term, and severe effect of long-term radon exposure. According to the CDC, radon is the second largest cause of lung cancer, after cigarette smoking.
Your risk of lung cancer is increased if you smoke and live in a home with high radon levels. In fact, the EPA report that radon exposure causes lung cancer in both non-smokers and smokers.
But radon is the top cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers.
The following factors influence your risk of developing lung cancer as a result of radon exposure:
- How much radon is present in your house.
- The quantity of time that you spend at the radon exposed home.
- Whether you are a smoker or you have smoked before.
- Whether you burn wood, coal, or other particles-inducing chemicals in your home.
If your home has high radon levels and you smoke or burn fuels that produce more indoor particles, your chances of having lung cancer are more elevated.
Exposure to radon doesn’t cause immediate symptoms, but prolonged exposure can cause health problems. Certain symptoms may appear before the diagnosis of lung cancer.
Symptoms of radon exposure can include:
- Wheezing.
- Shortness of breath.
- Losing weight
- Persistent cough.
- Hoarseness.
- Frequent infections like bronchitis and pneumonia.
- Loss of appetite.
- Coughing up blood.
- Chest pains.
- Nausea and vomiting.
Note: The only way to find out if you and your family are at risk of significant radon exposure is to test your home.
Conclusion.
Indoor contaminants that emit gases such as radon or particles into the air are the most common cause of poor indoor air quality in homes. Because radon is harmful to human health, it is critical to eliminate it in your house once you become aware of its presence. However, air purifiers cannot greatly help with a radon contamination issue.
To avoid radon risks, it’s not enough to simply seal the foundation; a mechanism must be in place to generate negative pressure, which pushes gas away from the foundation before it can reach it.