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Do air purifiers get rid of radon?

By Radon411 Editorial TeamUpdated How we research

Short answer

No. EPA does not recommend air cleaning to reduce the health risks of radon and its decay products, and it says air cleaners without special media such as activated carbon or alumina will not remove radon gas. What lowers radon is a system that keeps it from entering, such as active soil depressurization.

Next step: a certified professional designs and installs the fix. Find a mitigation professional

EPA's indoor air page on air cleaners says air cleaners that do not contain special media, such as activated carbon or alumina, will not remove gaseous pollutants, including radon, or reduce their associated health effects. Whether air cleaners that contain these media are effective in reducing health risks from gaseous pollutants cannot be adequately assessed at this time, it says, and the effectiveness of air cleaners in reducing the health risks from radon progeny (decay products) cannot be adequately evaluated at present.

EPA's technical summary on residential air cleaners recommends something else: the use of source-control technologies to prevent radon from entering residential structures. It calls active soil depressurization (ASD) the most effective radon control technique, and says an ASD system uses an electric fan to minimize radon entry by drawing air from under the slab or floor and venting it to the outside above the building's roofline.

What to do next: test the home first. If the result calls for a fix, a qualified contractor can install a system that stops radon at the source.

Radon gas and radon's decay products

Two things are in the air. EPA's technical summary says that as uranium breaks down it releases radon, which in turn produces short-lived radioactive particles called progeny, some of which attach to dust particles, and that radon progeny may deposit in the lungs and irradiate respiratory tissues. An air cleaner treats the two differently.

What air cleaners can and cannot do about radon
What is in the airWhat air cleaners can do
Radon gasAir cleaners without special media such as activated carbon or alumina will not remove gaseous pollutants, including radon
Radon gas, with carbon or alumina mediaWhether these air cleaners reduce health risks from gaseous pollutants cannot be adequately assessed at this time
Radon progeny (decay products)Radon progeny that are attached to dust can be removed by air filters; EPA says the effectiveness of air cleaners in reducing the health risks from radon progeny cannot be adequately evaluated at present
Keeping radon outEPA recommends the use of source-control technologies to prevent radon from entering residential structures

EPA's summary also notes that a limited number of studies have investigated air cleaners' effectiveness in removing radon and its progeny, comparing mechanical air filters, electrostatic precipitators and ionizers equipped with fans, and that the degree of risk reduction found by these studies has been inconsistent.

What EPA recommends instead

Cross-section of a house with a sub-slab depressurization system: soil gas drawn from beneath the slab into a suction point, up a vent pipe, through a fan outside the living space and out above the roofline.
Read this figure as text
Sub-slab depressurization system in a house cross-sectionGround levelLiving spaceBasement12345
  1. Soil gas drawn from beneath the slab
  2. Suction point through the slab
  3. Vent pipe
  4. Fan, outside the living space
  5. Discharge above the roofline
Active soil depressurization: a fan draws soil gas from under the slab and vents it above the roof.

The Citizen's Guide says radon reduction systems work and that some can reduce radon levels in your home by up to 99%, and that the method primarily used is a vent pipe system and fan, which pulls radon from beneath the house and vents it to the outside. The Consumer's Guide says EPA generally recommends methods that prevent the entry of radon, and that most homes can be fixed for about the same cost as other common home repairs. See radon mitigation.

Ventilation, fans and other things people try

Typical radon reduction, EPA

Basement and slab-on-grade homes

  • Subslab suction (subslab depressurization)50 to 99 percentWorks best if air can move easily in material under slab.

Any type of home

  • Sealing of radon entry routesSee commentsNormally only used with other techniques; proper materials and installation required.
  • Natural ventilationVariable/TemporarySignificant heated or cooled air loss; operating costs depend on utility rates and amount of ventilation.
  • Heat recovery ventilation (HRV)VariableLimited use; effectiveness limited by radon concentration or the amount of ventilation air available for dilution by the HRV.
Typical radon reduction for soil suction, sealing and ventilation, from EPA's Consumer's Guide. Air cleaners are not on EPA's list.

Opening windows helps only while they are open: the Consumer's Guide says that once windows, doors and vents are closed, radon concentrations most often return to previous values within about 12 hours. A heat recovery ventilator can be installed to increase ventilation, which will help reduce the radon levels in your home, the guide says, and its table rates the HRV as limited use, best applied in limited-space areas like basements. EPA does not recommend sealing alone. See does opening windows reduce radon and what filters radon.

Questions about air purifiers and radon

Does a HEPA air purifier remove radon?

EPA says air cleaners that do not contain special media, such as activated carbon or alumina, will not remove gaseous pollutants, including radon. The EPA pages cited here do not name HEPA purifiers.

Does an activated carbon air purifier remove radon?

EPA says whether air cleaners that contain these media are effective in reducing health risks from gaseous pollutants cannot be adequately assessed at this time, and it does not recommend air cleaning for radon.

Do ionizers help with radon?

EPA's technical summary says studies of air cleaners, including ionizers equipped with fans, found an inconsistent degree of risk reduction, and that EPA does not recommend air cleaning to reduce radon's health risks.

Will an air purifier help with radon at all?

ATSDR says radon progeny attached to dust can be removed by air filters, but EPA says the effect on health risk cannot be adequately evaluated, and it recommends source control instead.

What is the best way to get rid of radon?

EPA's technical summary calls active soil depressurization the most effective radon control technique. A qualified mitigation contractor designs it for the house; see the mitigation professionals directory.

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