Radon is a radioactive gas commonly found in homes across the United States. It can have serious health effects on humans, but can it affect pets, too? Here’s what you need to know about radon in the home, how exposure may affect your pets, and what to do if you suspect elevated radon levels where you live.
What Is Radon?
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas produced as uranium in soil and rock breaks down. You can’t see or smell it.
Radon can enter a house through openings where the building meets the ground. A crack in a basement floor gives the gas a path indoors. Openings around utility pipes can provide another entry point.
After radon enters a building, it can accumulate in the indoor air. The amount varies from one home to another, which is why testing is used to measure the actual radon level inside a specific house.
Can Radon Affect Pets?
Yes. Pets breathe the same indoor air as everyone else in the household, so prolonged exposure to elevated radon levels can affect them too.
- Lung tissue damage: When your pet inhales radon decay particles, those particles can expose lung tissue to radiation. Repeated exposure can damage cells over time.
- Greater lung cancer risk: Long-term radon exposure is associated with lung cancer. Because dogs and cats also inhale contaminated indoor air, prolonged exposure raises concerns about cancer developing in their lungs.
- Long exposure periods for indoor pets: Pets that spend most of the day inside may breathe radon-containing air for years if elevated levels go undetected. Indoor cats and homebound dogs can have especially long exposure periods.
- No obvious early warning signs: Radon exposure doesn’t cause an immediate reaction that tells you something is wrong. A pet may continue acting normally even while breathing elevated levels over a long period.
- Respiratory symptoms if lung disease develops: A persistent cough or changes in breathing can occur when a pet develops a lung problem. Those symptoms have many possible causes, so they require a veterinary evaluation rather than being treated as proof of radon exposure.
A persistent cough or a change in your pet’s breathing deserves a call to your veterinarian. Let the veterinarian know what you’ve noticed and how long it has been happening.
Radon exposure doesn’t create symptoms that a veterinarian can identify simply by looking at your pet. The same respiratory changes can appear with other illnesses, so your veterinarian will evaluate the animal based on its symptoms and health history.
If you’re also concerned about radon in the house, handle that concern separately with indoor testing.
What Should You Do If You Suspect Radon in Your Home?
You can’t determine your home’s radon level from its age or location alone. Neighboring houses can produce different test results because radon enters buildings through the soil beneath each property and through openings in each foundation.
Testing gives you an indoor measurement. From there, you can decide whether further testing or radon reduction is necessary.
Schedule a Radon Test
The first step for the house is measuring the radon concentration. You can use an approved home testing kit or schedule testing with a qualified radon professional.
A radon test measures the amount of gas in the indoor air and reports the result in picocuries per liter, abbreviated as pCi/L. Short-term tests collect measurements over a limited period, while longer testing periods provide information about levels across a broader stretch of time.
Professional testing is especially helpful when you want someone to place the device correctly and explain the testing requirements before the measurement begins.
Follow Closed House Conditions During Testing
Radon testing devices need to be placed under closed house conditions. In simple terms, exterior windows need to remain closed so outside air doesn’t lower the indoor radon concentration during a short-term test.
Exterior doors can still be used for normal entry and exit. You don’t need to seal yourself or your pets inside the house.
The testing device also needs to remain where it was placed. Keep pets away from it if there’s any risk that a curious nose or paw will move the equipment before the testing period ends.
Read the Radon Result
Your test result tells you the concentration of radon measured in the home. The EPA recommends taking action when the result reaches 4 pCi/L or higher.
A result below 4 pCi/L doesn’t equal zero risk. The EPA also recommends considering radon reduction when levels fall between 2 and 4 pCi/L.
Follow the instructions that come with your test when deciding whether another measurement is needed. Some elevated short-term results call for follow-up testing before you arrange mitigation.
Call a Radon Mitigation Professional for Elevated Levels
If testing confirms elevated radon, contact a qualified radon mitigation professional. They’ll evaluate how radon is entering the house and determine the type of reduction system the property needs.
A common mitigation system draws radon-containing soil gas from beneath the building and vents it outside. The system reduces the amount that enters your living space rather than relying on temporary ventilation from an open window.
Retest After Mitigation
Installation isn’t the final step. Another radon test confirms whether the mitigation system lowered the concentration to an acceptable level.
Your mitigation professional should explain when follow-up testing needs to occur. The new measurement lets you see how the indoor radon level changed after the system began operating.
Radon levels can also change over time, so periodic testing remains appropriate after mitigation. Testing again is especially important after major work that changes the foundation or ventilation of the house.
Protect the Air Your Pets Breathe at Home
Pets spend a large portion of their lives inside the homes they share with us. If elevated radon is present, they breathe the same contaminated indoor air and may experience prolonged exposure over the years.
Testing radon in the home gives you a measured radon level to work from. If the number comes back elevated, you can arrange follow-up testing or mitigation and then retest to see how much the level dropped. Pair that home testing with veterinary care for any ongoing respiratory symptoms, and you can address both your pet’s health and the air inside your house.
