The first time I learned about radon, I was a little kid, and my parents were testing our home for radon. They explained that it was something that came into our house through the basement that we couldn’t see or smell and that it could cause cancer. As a kid, this just scared me; now I know it’s important to be aware of things like radon that can negatively impact health.
Radon is a naturally occurring, radioactive gas that comes from rocks in the soil. There’s always some radon in the air around us. The problem is when radon gas enters people’s homes through cracks in the foundation of their houses, dirt basement floors, or gaps around pipes entering the home.
When people breathe in radon gas, the radioactive particles can get trapped in the lungs. Over time this can cause lung cancer. The risk of developing lung cancer due to radon exposure depends on how high radon levels are and how much contact a person has had with radon gas. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, with smoking being the number one cause of lung cancer. Smoking and radon exposure combined put a person at a higher risk of developing lung cancer. According to the CDC, people who smoke and live in homes with high radon levels have a risk of lung cancer that’s 10 times higher than people who don’t smoke and live in homes with high radon levels.
The only way to know if a home has elevated radon levels is to test for it. Certain regions of the state generally have higher radon levels than others, but radon levels can vary from house to house. Additionally, radon levels in a home can change over time, especially if the home has been renovated. The most recent data for Green County shows that 64% of homes that have undergone radon testing in the 53566 zipcode (Monroe) have elevated levels. In the 53520 (Brodhead) 44% have elevated levels, and 73% of homes tested in the 53574 zipcode (New Glarus) have elevated levels. This data comes from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, to learn more and view additional radon data, please visit their website: https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/radon/index.htm.
Throughout the month of January 2023, Green County Public Health is offering free radon test kits to the public. Community members who want a test kit can call (608) 328-9390 or email info@greencountywi.org to set up a time to pick up a radon test kit. Radon test kits are also available to purchase online and in some hardware stores. To test a home for radon, the test kit needs to be set up in the lowest lived-in level of the home for at least two days. A basement can be considered lived-in (for radon testing purposes) if it is occupied at least seven hours per week. Otherwise, the main floor is the best place to test. After the test is finished, the test kit needs to be sent to a lab, there are more specific instructions included with the test kit about this process.
Radon levels are measured in picocuries per liter (pCi/L). Four pCi/L and over is above the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recommended safe level. If people have an elevated level of radon in their home after their 2-day test, it’s recommended to do a long-term test of at least 90 days; usually, around 6-12 months is recommended to gauge the home’s annual radon concentration. These systems should be installed by a professional contractor; the Wisconsin Department of Health Services maintains a list of Certified Radon Mitigation Individuals who do have high levels of radon in their homes have options to reduce the level and help protect themselves and their families. Radon mitigation systems use a pipe and a fan to redirect radon out from underneath your home to the outside. A list of contractors can be found on their website: https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/radon/radon-proficiency.htm. To learn more and talk with an expert, community embers can contact the South Central Radon Information Center at 608-243-0392. In addition to radon mitigation systems, sealing large gaps or cracks in basement walls of floors can help prevent radon from entering the home. This method should not be used alone in homes with high radon levels as it has not been shown to be effective on its own, but it can make mitigation systems more effective.
— Bridget Zimmerman is the Public Health Educator for the Green County Public Health Department and can be reached at bzimmerman@greengountywi.org or 608-328-9509.
