Radon Is Killing 21,000 Americans Every Year. Here's the Data Nobody Shows.

Content:

Radon is the #1 cause of lung cancer in non-smokers and the #2 overall cause of lung cancer in the U.S. — behind only smoking.

21,000 deaths per year. That's more than drownings, fires, and carbon monoxide poisoning combined.

Yet try finding radon risk data for a specific address. Go ahead. I'll wait.

The EPA maintains radon zone maps (Zone 1 = highest potential >4 pCi/L, Zone 2 = moderate, Zone 3 = low). But these maps are static PDFs. You can't query them. You can't integrate them into an app. You can't build them into a property risk score.

Until now.

We incorporated EPA radon zone data into the ProtectMyZip Environmental Hazards API. Query any U.S. address and get:

• Radon zone classification (1, 2, or 3)
• Predicted radon level range
• Historical testing data for the area
• EPA recommendations for mitigation

States with the highest radon risk (per EPA data):

• Pennsylvania, Iowa, Minnesota — Zone 1 across most counties
• Colorado, Montana, Idaho — geological factors drive high readings
• Even Florida has Zone 2 counties near the panhandle

Why this matters for real estate tech:

Homebuyers deserve to know. If a property is in a Zone 1 county, the EPA recommends testing before purchase. That's a material fact — not a nice-to-have.

Build it into your platform:

GET /api/hazards?address=456+Oak+Ave,+Des+Moines,+IA
→ "radon": { "zone": 1, "level": "high", "recommendation": "test_before_purchase" }

🔗 check radon levels near any US address

Discussion: Should radon testing be mandatory for all home sales, like lead paint disclosures? I'd love to hear your take.