This is a common question and the answer is unfortunately no, you cannot smell radon gas.
Radon gas has no colour, smell or taste and is completely imperceptible to humans, even in high concentrations.
Radon occurs naturally in the rocks and soil beneath us, but there is no way of knowing how much is escaping from the ground and entering a building. It is measured in a unit called Bequerels and expressed as the number of Bequerels per cubic metre of air (Bq/m3). Outdoors in the UK, the average background radon concentration is 4 Bq/m3 – a very low concentration. The average indoor concentration in the UK is 20 Bq/m3, which is still a low level and not considered harmful.
Public Health England advises that any home with radon concentrations in excess of 200 Bq/m3 should have remedial work carried out to reduce the concentration, and those with levels of 100 Bq/m3 should seriously consider doing likewise.
If I Can’t See Or Smell Radon Gas? What Should I Do?
That is why it is important to find out if your property is in an area likely to be affected by high levels of radon and if it is, carry out a radon test.
Radon is radioactive and long-term exposure to high concentrations increases your risk of lung cancer. Without testing, you have no idea what level of radon you may be being exposed to day and night in your home. Radon testing is cheap and easy to do, with detectors sent in the post and results emailed back to you.
Order your radon test by clicking the link down below and, for a limited time only, use discount code SAVE10 to save 10%.
