Radon vs. Carbon Monoxide: A Homeowner's Guide to Two Invisible Threats
If you've started researching home safety devices, you've probably seen radon and carbon monoxide both mentioned as invisible household threats. These gases come from different sources, affect your body in different ways, and require different tools for detection. This guide breaks down the difference between radon and carbon monoxide, how each gas shows up, and what to do if you have either one in your home.
What Is Radon?
Radon is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless radioactive gas that can make its way into your home through vulnerabilities in its foundation or crawlspace. Radon is a byproduct of uranium decay, which naturally occurs in soil and rock. As radon gas forms, it moves up through the ground and enters buildings through foundation cracks, piping gaps, crawlspaces, and joints. Once inside, it can accumulate to high levels, posing serious health risks.
What is the risk of radon exposure?
The EPA states that radon is the number one cause of lung cancer in non-smokers.
The gas itself isn’t the danger, but the radon decay products (RDPs) that come from it are. As radon decays, it leaves behind tiny RDP particles that stick to airborne particles like dust. When you breathe in these particles, they can attach to your lungs, increasing your risk of lung cancer.
Because radon is naturally occurring and constantly created, every home has some level of radon. However, the EPA recommends mitigation if your home tests at or above 4.0 pCi/L, as long-term exposure to high radon levels poses the greatest risk.
What Is Carbon Monoxide?
Carbon monoxide (CO) is also a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas. But it’s produced when fuels such as natural gas, gasoline, wood, propane, oil, or coal don’t burn completely. While radon gas is radioactive, CO is poisonous.
What is the risk of carbon monoxide exposure?
When inhaled, carbon monoxide prevents your blood from carrying enough oxygen to your organs and tissues, leading to carbon monoxide poisoning. According to the CDC, 400 Americans die from unintentional CO poisoning every year, with 100,000 Americans visiting an emergency department due to it.
Common sources of CO poisoning include furnaces, gas stoves, fireplaces, generators, vehicle exhaust, and other fuel-burning appliances, especially if they malfunction or are used in poorly ventilated spaces. Symptoms include headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, confusion, chest pain, and sleepiness.
Detecting Radon and Carbon Monoxide in Your Home
Neither radon nor carbon monoxide can be seen, tasted, or smelled, which is part of what makes them so dangerous. CO poisoning presents with symptoms, which can help you notice something’s wrong if you’re awake. However, radon exposure acts silently over a longer period. For both these reasons, it’s important to detect the gases before they put your health at risk.
Radon testing
The only way to know how much radon is in your home is with a radon test. You can get either an at-home kit or a professional radon test, which will measure your radon levels. The EPA’s recommended action level is 4.0 pCi/L, but you should still consider mitigation if your home falls in the 2.0 to 4.0 range.
Radon levels can change, so testing isn’t necessarily a one-and-done event. You should retest your home at least every two years. But for absolute peace of mind, consider a radon monitoring device that gives you long-term insights into your levels, so you know immediately if something changes. We have a list of monitoring devices we recommend to our customers.
Carbon monoxide detectors
Because carbon monoxide poses a more immediate risk, you should invest in a CO detector. These work similarly to a smoke alarm, but they detect carbon monoxide instead of smoke. Some devices are combination smoke-and-CO alarms.
You should install CO detectors near sleeping areas so the alarm can wake you if carbon monoxide builds up overnight.
What to Do If Your Home Has High Levels of Radon
If your radon test comes back with high levels, it’s time for mitigation. Radon mitigation systems work to prevent the gas from accumulating inside your home in the first place. The most common setup uses a pipe and fan to pull radon-containing air from beneath your home and vent it safely outdoors, usually above the roofline. This keeps the levels inside your home well below the recommended action level.
Remember, radon is a long-exposure risk. So while you should begin reaching out for mitigation quotes quickly, you don’t need to treat a high radon test as an immediate emergency.
What to Do If Your Home Has Carbon Monoxide
Carbon monoxide is far more urgent than radon. If you think your home has carbon monoxide or a CO alarm goes off, treat it as an emergency. Get everyone outside into fresh air immediately, including pets, and call 911. Do not re-enter your home until emergency personnel tell you it’s safe. If anyone has symptoms such as headache, dizziness, nausea, weakness, confusion, chest pain, or unusual sleepiness, seek medical attention.
Once the immediate danger is resolved, have the likely sources, such as the furnace, water heater, fireplace, stove, or other fuel-burning appliances, professionally inspected before using them again.
Test for Radon with The Radon Guys
Both radon and carbon monoxide present silent, serious hazards to your household, and relying on carbon monoxide alarms alone may leave your family exposed to high radon levels. As Middle Tennessee's certified radon experts, The Radon Guys provide accurate, professional testing and proven mitigation solutions to protect your indoor air quality. Don't leave your health to chance. Contact us today to take proactive control of your home's safety.
Radon vs. Carbon Monoxide FAQs
What’s the difference between radon and carbon monoxide?
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that seeps up from soil and rock, while carbon monoxide comes from incomplete fuel combustion in appliances like furnaces and stoves. Radon poses a long-term lung cancer risk from years of exposure, while carbon monoxide can cause poisoning within hours.
Can you taste or smell radon or carbon monoxide?
No. Both gases are colorless, odorless, and tasteless, so your senses can't warn you that either one is present. Carbon monoxide poisoning does tend to bring on symptoms such as headache and dizziness, but radon builds up silently over months or years with no immediate signs at all. Testing or detectors is the only reliable way to know if either gas is in your home.
How do I know if my home has a radon problem?
The only way to know your radon levels is with a radon test, either an at-home test kit or a professional test. Following a proper radon testing procedure will give you the clearest read on where your home stands.
How do I know if my home has a carbon monoxide leak?
A working carbon monoxide detector is what catches a leak, since the gas gives you no warning on its own. If your CO alarm sounds, or you notice symptoms such as headache, dizziness, nausea, or confusion, especially if several people in the house feel sick at the same time, treat it as a possible leak. Get everyone into fresh air and call 911 right away.
Do carbon monoxide detectors detect radon?
No. Carbon monoxide detectors and radon detectors rely on different sensor technology because the two gases behave in completely different ways, and a CO detector has no way to sense radioactive particles. A CO detector will still protect you from carbon monoxide, but you'll need a separate radon test kit or radon detector to know your radon levels.
Can carbon monoxide leaks affect radon testing?
A CO leak doesn't chemically interfere with a radon test, but it can affect the conditions around it. Radon tests measure gas concentration under closed-house conditions, so opening windows and doors to clear a carbon monoxide leak, or running fans, can throw off your radon reading. If a CO event happens during an active radon test, it's best to end that test and start a new one once your home is back to normal ventilation.
