MONROE — January is National Radon Action Month and it’s a good idea to check your home for the potentially deadly gas, health officials say. Especially since about 6 of every 10 homes tested in Green County have elevated levels.
The only way to know the level of radon in a home is to test for it, officials added.
Radon is an invisible, odorless and tasteless gas that comes from the ground. Radon can enter homes through cracks in the foundation, openings around joints or pipes and through dirt floors. Long-term exposure to high levels of radon is a risk factor for lung cancer.
The U.S. Surgeon General advises that exposure to radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, behind smoking cigarettes. Smoking combined with radon exposure puts people at an even higher risk of developing lung cancer.
Radon levels vary among geographic locations, in some areas of Green County these levels are high. In the 53566-zip code, which includes Monroe, 63.7% of homes tested for radon had levels over the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommended limit. Community members can view this data and data for other zip codes on this interactive map from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services: https://arcg.is/1q9Hna0
The EPA recommends that all residents test their home at least once for radon. This month Green County Public Health is offering free radon test kits, while supplies last. To get a test kit, community members can call Green County Public Health at 608-328-9390 to schedule a time to pick up their kit. Radon test kits are also available for purchase at many hardware stores and online.
Homes with high levels of radon can be fixed. Radon mitigation systems use a pipe and fan to route radon out from underneath the home to the outside, which prevents radon from entering the home. There are many certified professionals located in southern Wisconsin who can install a radon mitigation system if a home has a high level of radon.
To learn more about radon mitigation visit the Wisconsin Department of Health Services website: https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/radon/index.htm.