The Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends that every home have at least one detector, preferably mounted outside the bedrooms. Some recommend one detector for each floor of the house. Read the manufacturer's directions. Radon Radon is a soil gas that enters the house through basements, crawl spaces and other places where the house is in contact with the soil. It is a colorless, tasteless and odorless radioactive gas that is linked to lung cancer.
Houses vary greatly in the levels of radon gas they contain.
The Environmental Protection Agency recommends that households test for radon, particularly if the house has a basement. Both test kits consist of a small canister that is exposed to the air in the house for a recommended time period. The kits then are sealed and sent to a laboratory for analysis. The cost of analysis usually is included in the price of the kit. The house should be closed up for 12 hours before the detector is exposed to the air.