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What are the symptoms of radon in your home?

By Radon411 Editorial TeamUpdated How we research

Short answer

Radon in a home gives no warning signs: it has no smell, color or taste, and nothing about how a house looks or feels reveals it. Its health effect is lung cancer, which can appear many years after exposure, so a test is the only way to find radon.

Next step: a test is the only way to know your home's level. How to test your home

People look for symptoms when something feels wrong, such as tiredness, headaches or a cough. Those are not signs of radon in a home, and no health effects other than lung cancer have been established. A household that feels fine is not evidence that the level is low either.

What radon does is raise the risk of lung cancer over time. The radioactive particles it produces can lodge in the airways when breathed in and damage the cells there. Not everyone exposed to elevated radon develops lung cancer, the time between exposure and disease may be many years, and the risk is much higher for people who smoke.

If you have symptoms that worry you, see a doctor about them, and mention any radon result you have. That conversation is about your health; the test is about your house, and the two answer different questions.

What to do next: test the lowest lived-in level of your home. A that runs at least 48 hours with the house closed up gives a first answer, and the interpreter explains what the number means.

No signs in the house

A house with high radon looks, smells and feels like any other. Radon is an invisible, odorless and tasteless gas with no immediate health symptoms, so nothing you notice day to day points to it. A neighbor's result does not help either, because levels vary greatly from home to home.

Things people look for, and whether they reveal radon
What you might checkDoes it show radon?
A smell, haze or color in the airNo: radon has no smell, color or taste
Damp, mold or cracks in the basementNo: cracks are ways in, but they do not tell you the level
How people in the house feelNo: radon gives no immediate symptoms
A neighbor's testNo: homes next door can have very different levels
A radon testYes: testing is the only way to know

The health effect is lung cancer, years later

Radon's harm builds silently. When you breathe it in, radioactive particles from its decay can get trapped in your lungs and damage the cells lining the airways. It may take years before health problems appear, and lung cancer takes many years to develop. Not everyone exposed to elevated radon develops it; the chance depends mostly on the level, the time spent in the home, and whether you smoke.

What radon does and does not do
QuestionWhat is known
Does radon cause lung cancer?Yes; it is the only cancer proven to be associated with breathing radon
Does radon cause other illnesses?No other cancer risks or health effects have been established
Does it reach other organs?Inhaled radon delivers some radiation to other organs, but at a much lower level than to the lungs
Leukemia?A link has been suggested, but the evidence is not conclusive

Lung cancer symptoms to know

These are the symptoms of lung cancer from any cause, not signs of radon in a house. Most people with lung cancer have no symptoms until it is advanced. Some have symptoms related to the lungs; some just feel generally unwell.

Symptoms of lung cancer
SymptomDetail
CoughCoughing that gets worse or does not go away, or coughing up blood
ChestChest pain
BreathingShortness of breath or wheezing
GeneralFeeling very tired all the time, or weight loss with no known cause
OtherRepeated bouts of pneumonia, or swollen lymph nodes inside the chest between the lungs

Symptoms people blame on radon

People often look for radon when they feel unwell: headaches, tiredness, a stubborn cough. Radon is not known to cause short-term symptoms like these, and there is no medical test that shows whether you have been exposed.

Common worries, answered
WorryWhat is known
Headaches or dizzinessNo health effects other than lung cancer have been established
Constant tirednessFeeling very tired is a possible lung cancer symptom, but not a sign of radon in the air
A blood or urine test for radonRadon in tissue is not detectable by routine medical testing; some decay products show up in urine, but those tests cannot tell how much radon you breathed
How exposure is measuredBy measuring radon in the air

The health picture in full is in how does radon affect human health, and the timeline in how long before you get sick from radon.

Questions about radon symptoms

What are the first signs of radon in a house?

There are none you can sense. Radon is invisible, odorless and tasteless, and gives no immediate symptoms. A test is the only way to find it; see how do you know if you have radon in the house.

Can radon cause headaches?

Headaches are not a known effect of radon. No health effects other than lung cancer have been established.

Can radon make you tired?

Not directly. Feeling very tired all the time can be a symptom of lung cancer, which radon can cause over many years, but tiredness is not a sign of radon in your home.

Can radon cause a cough?

A cough that gets worse or does not go away is a lung cancer symptom; radon itself causes no immediate symptoms. A persistent cough needs a doctor, whatever its cause.

Is there a test for radon exposure in people?

No routine one. Radon in human tissue is not detectable by routine medical testing; exposure is estimated by measuring radon in the air.

Does feeling fine mean my radon is low?

No. Most people with lung cancer have no symptoms until it is advanced, and radon gives no warning, so feeling well says nothing about the level.

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