Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
What would you do if you found out your home was filled with radioactive gas that your senses couldn't detect? While this sounds like an unlikely circumstance, this situation may be more common than you think.
According to Alpha Energy Laboratories, an independent radon lab that has processed over 74,000 radon tests in Utah, 49% of Utah homes have high radon levels, a deadly radioactive gas that causes lung cancer.
Here's how you can determine your risk and protect your loved ones from radon-induced illness.
What is radon, and where does it come from?
Radon is a natural byproduct of uranium and rises from the ground into the air we breathe. It is not incredibly dangerous in outdoor air, but when it rises through the foundation of homes, it can concentrate to dangerous levels that change the DNA in your lungs.
Like carbon monoxide, radon is an odorless, tasteless, and invisible gas.
However, radon exposure is not as noticeable as carbon monoxide, and many people don't know their home has high levels until they're diagnosed with stage three or four lung cancer.
Radon is known as "the silent killer" because you can get lung cancer from it without even knowing you're being exposed to it. The only way to know if you are being exposed is by testing for it.
49% of Utah homes have high radon levels, a deadly radioactive gas that causes lung cancer.
–UtahRadon.org
How to find out your local radon risk
UtahRadon.org, a leading radon awareness and testing organization, released a new tool for Utahns to find the radon risk in their area based on local testing data.
The tool, What radon levels are in my area? allows you to simply enter your ZIP code to learn the average radon level in your area and statistics around the cancer risks associated with that level.
While you're there, you can explore UtahRadon.org's expansive resources designed to help you and your loved ones stay healthy.
How to know your home's radon level
While UtahRadon.org's tool is a great way to know your relative risk, the only way to know if your home has a high radon level is to perform a radon test. A radon test is a fast and straightforward tool to assess your home's radon level over 48-96 hours.
Even if you live in an area with a low average radon level, it's essential to test.
According to the U.S. Surgeon General and leading world healthcare organizations, these tests should be performed every two years. All Utahns can request one free test at UtahRadon.org.
The shipping, kit, and lab fees have all been covered, so you can test your home without worrying about the cost.
The reality of living in a high-radon home
Countless Utahns have been impacted by non-smoking lung cancer, including Park City resident Bill Johnson.
Bill's illness started with common back pain, and by the time it escalated and he got the correct tests, his stage four cancer had spread from his lungs through his spine, brain, and hips. "I have to think about my boys growing up without their father because of something that is completely preventable," Bill told UtahRadon.org.
Bill's non-smoking lung cancer diagnosis is not uncommon in Utah. An estimated 20-30% of Utah lung cancer diagnoses are believed to be linked to radon exposure. Even more, most do not know they have non-smoking lung cancer until the disease has significantly progressed.
Since his diagnosis, Bill purchased a continuous radon monitor and had a permanent radon mitigation system installed in his home. Bill is now a community radon advocate and urges all readers of his story to test their homes for radon to avoid a similar diagnosis.
Expansion of radon knowledge
Though radon is a silent killer, awareness has increased over the years as local organizations advocate for education and resources.
January has been established as Radon Action and Awareness Month in Utah as of the 2025 legislative session, following in the footsteps of the Environmental Protection Agency's designation of January as National Radon Action Month.
Radon is an incredibly dangerous gas, but you can protect your family by performing a simple test. Click here to have a free radon test mailed right to your door.
