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Most of the radon gas that you inhale is also exhaled. However, some of radon's decay products attach to dusts and aerosols in the air and are then readily deposited in the lungs. Some of these are cleared by the lung's natural defense system, and swallowed or coughed out. Those particles that are retained long enough release radiation damaging surrounding lung tissues. A small amount of radon decay products in the lung are absorbed into the blood.

Most of the radon ingested in water is exhaled in hours. There is some risk from drinking water with elevated radon, because radioactive decay can occur within the body where tissues, such as the stomach lining, would be exposed. However, alpha particles emitted by radon and its decay product in water prior to drinking quickly lose their energy and are taken up by other compounds in water, and do not themselves pose a health concern.