Does Radon Test Have a Smell? Is Radon Odorless?
Radon is a colorless and odorless gas that never gives off a foul smell. You can’t see or taste it and, unfortunately, you wouldn’t be able to tell if you were being exposed to unsafe levels of it without a test kit.
Most test kits won’t have much of a smell either, though it’s doubtful that anyone would try to smell one anyway. If one did give off a smell, then this would more than likely come from the plastic housing.
A majority of test kits are made out of activated charcoal or other similar substrates. Therefore, they don’t really smell like anything.
Considering that radon testing equipment is industrially manufactured and aren’t meant as playthings, you shouldn’t directly try to smell one anyway. Electronic test kits will normally smell like any other piece of consumer device, but again you probably shouldn’t be smelling these anyway.
Since radon gas itself has no detectable odor, it can pose a very serious danger to homeowners. If you suspect that you have elevated levels of radon in your house, then you should find a certified test kit.
Can You Taste Radon?
According to OSHA, radon has no taste at all and being in the presence of radon won’t trigger any of your senses. You can’t normally detect the presence of radon without a survey meter, Geiger counter or test kit.
Even those who are exposed to large amounts of radon will normally not experience any change in taste, smell or their vision. If you notice a foul odor in your home that’s strong enough to produce a taste in your mouth, then you might be smelling natural gas.
That’s a serious fire hazard and you need to air out the building and stop the leak as soon as possible. Other causes of foul odors include mold and various other organisms that decompose dead material.
There’s a possibility that an animal or other living thing has died somewhere in your home and needs to be cleaned up. Dampness and water leaks can often cause the conditions needed for mold or other organisms to grow, which cause nasty odors.
Homeowners who are unfamiliar with radon sometimes assume they have it because they get a strong weird taste simply by smelling it.
Where Does Radon Come From?
Radioactive materials like uranium and radium are somewhat common in the ground, and these decay into radon gas. Over time, this gas seeps out of rocks in the Earth’s crust and finds its way into the atmosphere around us.
All measurably radioactive isotopes of any element break down into some other substance over time. Radon gas is simply the product of a long geological process that involves naturally occurring radioisotopes.
Since radon gas is relatively dense, it tends to collect in the lower levels of buildings and become trapped. Opening windows and doors will usually bring enough air in to dilute the radon, but almost all air on the planet has at least some radon gas in it.
In fact, some researchers are of the opinion that humans need a very slight amount of radioactivity for reasons they’re not completely sure of yet. That might help to provide an evolutionary reason for why people have been able to live with radon since the dawn of civilization.
In nature, radon eventually finds its way to the ambient outdoor atmosphere and usually isn’t a problem. The reason it becomes an issue in homes and other buildings is because it gets trapped and can’t escape until its built up to unbearable levels.
How Do You Test for Radon?
Homeowners can pick up a test kit from a hardware store, leave it in a designated location in their homes for a certain period of time and then send it off to a laboratory for testing. You can complete the process in just a few hours.
These test kits are made from activated charcoal or another material that reacts with the radioactivity found in radon gas. Lab technicians examine the interior compound to see whether or not there is any measurable amount of radioactivity in the air that the test kit came into contact with.
Those who are particularly concerned about the possibility of radon in a building can deploy a field technician, who will use an electronic test device that counts the number of radon molecules in the test area and reports this data using a liquid crystal display.
Since this kind of test can be done relatively quickly, you may want to consider it if you’re selling your house. Many jurisdictions require a radon test when selling a home.
Regardless of what method you pick, it’s important to leave the test kit in place long enough that it’s able to take an accurate reading. It’s best if you can avoid going into the room that’s being tested until you have some hard numbers.
What Gas Am I Smelling?
When people say that they smell gas, they almost always mean natural gas. Natural gas, propane and several other fuels that have no odor are shipped to consumers with smelly substances added to them so you’ll know if there’s any kind of leak.
According to the Cornell Law School, pipeline safety regulations require the addition of odorant chemicals to all odorless fuel gases in all 50 states. You usually wouldn’t be able to smell natural gas or propane, but this safety feature makes it extremely noticeable.
Noble gases like radon have no odor and therefore you can’t smell them. Since radon is the product of a natural geological process, nobody is there to add any smells to it.
Sewer gases consist of decomposing liquid waste, so they also give off a strong odor. While this isn’t as serious a problem as radon, sewer gas is a public health hazard and you should notify the proper authorities if you’re dealing with a leak.
Other decomposition gases, like those associated with municipal solid waste, will also give off foul odors.