How Does Radon Get Into A Home? - How Radon Works

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HowStuffWorks Home & Garden Home Improvement Home DIY Household Safety How Radon Works Prev NEXT By: Marshall Brain & Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D.
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How Does Radon Get into a Home?

As you saw in the previous section, radon atoms are fairly short-lived. Over the course of several days a radon atom becomes a lead atom. While it is a radon atom, however, it is a gas. Because radon is a gas, it can seep from the ground into the air in a house. The primary way that radon enters a house is through the foundation (crawl space, basement) by a variety of paths:

  • cracks in basement floors
  • drains
  • sump pumps
  • exposed soil
  • construction joints (mortar, floor-wall)
  • loose fitting pipes

Radon may also enter the air of a house from well water, but this is a minor source compared to that coming in through the foundation. Some parts of the United States have higher risks of radon than others. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has a map that shows which counties and states have higher average radon levels. You can see the map here.

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Copy Marshall Brain & Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D. "How Radon Works" 1 January 1970.HowStuffWorks.com. <https://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/household-safety/radon.htm> 28 December 2025 Close Print | Citation More Awesome Stuff

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