DARLINGTON — Lafayette County Health Department (LCHD) was awarded $10,000 from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services to improve environmental public health in Lafayette County by reducing home hazards within Lafayette County.
The Carbon Monoxide Poisoning rate of Lafayette County is 2.7% higher than the average in the state of Wisconsin and 54% of Radon tests in Lafayette County are greater than 4 pCi/L. Radon is a naturally occurring gas released from the ground that is radioactive and can cause lung cancer. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer and levels above 4 pCi/L are similar to smoking a half pack of cigarettes a day. Like carbon monoxide, radon can’t be seen or smelled. Homes both old and new can have unsafe radon levels.
“Less than 5% of homes in Lafayette County have been tested for radon. The only way to know if a home has high radon levels is to test for it,” said Julie Leibfried, Lafayette County Health Officer. “Free Radon test kits and Carbon Monoxide Detectors are a valuable tool for Lafayette County residents to reduce health risks in their homes. We will be sharing more information as the project develops.”
The Lafayette County Healthy Homes Project’s goal is to reduce home hazards within Lafayette County, focusing on Carbon Monoxide Poisoning and Radon. Lafayette County Health Department will be working with community partners to educate residents of Lafayette County about the importance of Carbon Monoxide Detectors and Radon Testing.
“Any resident who has elevated levels of radon will receive free consultation from the Lafayette County Health Department to discuss their options for remediation,” Leibfried said.
The project in Lafayette County is one of four environmental public health projects being funded throughout the state through the Taking Action with Data funding opportunity from the Wisconsin Environmental Public Health Tracking Program, which is housed at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
For more information about this project or other programs, contact the Lafayette County Health Department at 608-776-4895, email publichealth@
lafayettecountywi.org or visit https://www.lafayettecountywi.org/healthdepartment.