While some real estate professionals will discourage potential home buyers from having a property tested for radon as part of the home inspection, radon testing is a good idea.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health estimates that one in four homes contains high levels of radon. Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that escapes into the atmosphere from uranium-bearing surface rocks and soil or from groundwater containing dissolved radon.

Radon can appear in drinking water and is also found in some construction materials, such as brick or concrete, if such material is made from uranium-bearing rock.

According to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services Web site, when radon undergoes radioactive breakdown, it decays into other radioactive elements called radon daughters. Radon daughters are solids, not gases, and stick to surfaces such as dust particles in the air. If contaminated dust is inhaled, these particles can adhere to the airways of the lung. As these radioactive dust particles breakdown further, they release small bursts of energy that can damage lung tissue and increase the risk of developing lung cancer. In general, the risk increases as the level of radon and the length of exposure increases.

The Environmental Protection Agency, the Surgeon General, and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health recommend that every homeowner, not just those buying or selling homes, test for radon.

Besides having a radon test conducted by a home inspector, for between $60 and $100, homeowners can purchase radon testing kits at home improvement stores.

If you have above-normal levels of radon and a private well, you probably will want to have the drinking water tested.

High levels of radon are reduced through a mitigation system installed into the home.

For more information, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services publishes a public health fact sheet on radon.