Radon: We Track That!

CDC’s Tracking Network connects people with vital information on a variety of health and environmental topics. You can use data and information collected about radon to help determine individual and community risk for radon and inform community interventions.

Reduce Your Risk for Radon Exposure

In the United States, radon is the #2 cause of lung cancer after smoking and is estimated to cause over 20,000 deaths each year, according the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Radon is a naturally occurring gas in rocks, soil, and groundwater that you cannot see, smell, or taste.

You can be exposed to radon primarily from breathing in radon that has comes in through cracks and gaps in buildings and homes.

Any home can have a radon problem. Testing is the only way to know if radon levels are high in your home. If radon levels in your home are above 4 picocuries per liter (pCi/L), the EPA recommends taking action[413 KB] to reduce your exposure.

Radon: We Track That

CDC funds 26 state and city health departments as part of the National Environmental Public Health Tracking Program, with the goal to better understand the connection between health and environment. Radon is one environmental health risk that many state tracking programs address. In collaboration with partners, the state tracking programs work to improve radon data to help identify communities at risk and inform testing. Some of the types of radon data that are collected include basic radon awareness, number of households that have tested for radon, households with elevated levels detected, and number of households that have fixed problems (mitigated) if they have high radon. The tracking programs display the data and information using interactive maps, charts, and tables.

Wisconsin Tracking map of radon test results over the radon action limit.

Explore state and local tracking programs’ radon data:

If your state is not listed here, you can find out more information about local radon zones and state contact information at EPA Map of Radon Zones.

Using Radon Data to Protect Communities

It’s not enough to just have data. Tracking programs have developed tools, applications, and products that go beyond data and help improve the health of communities. Here are a few examples:

New Hampshire Tracking increased radon testing through a radon testing media campaign.
Oregon Tracking created detailed radon hazard maps that increased radon testing.
See how the Washington Tracking Program’s improved radon exposure risk maps help keep residents safe in this Tracking in Action video.

For more information about the risks of radon, and the importance of getting your home tested for radon, visit CDC’s Radon Website.