Most homeowners have a list of home maintenance to-dos; is testing your home for radon on your list? If you haven’t tested your home for radon in the past, now is a great time to test.
Radon is a naturally occurring, radioactive gas that comes from rocks in the soil. People cannot see, taste, or smell radon gas, and the only way to know if it’s present is to test for it. Radon can enter your home through cracks in the foundation, dirt basement floors, or gaps around pipes entering the house.
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 long a person is exposed to 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.
Certain regions of the state generally have higher radon levels than others, and Green County has higher radon levels than many areas in Wisconsin. However, radon levels can vary from house to house, this is why it is important to test your home for radon, not rely on the test results of neighboring homes. 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 almost 64% of homes that have undergone radon testing in the 53566 zip code (Monroe) have elevated levels. In the 53520 (Brodhead), 44% have elevated levels, and 73% of homes tested in the 53574 zip code (New Glarus) have elevated levels. This data comes from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. To view radon test result data in your zip code, visit https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/radon/index.htm.
Green County Public Health is offering free radon test kits to Green County residents. 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. Community members can also visit the Green County Government Services Building (N3152 WI-81, Monroe, WI 53566) during regular business hours to request a test kit. Radon test kits are also available online and in some hardware stores. To test a home for radon, the test kit needs to be set up at least two days at the lowest lived-in level of the house. 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; more specific instructions about this process are included with the test kit.
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 radon level 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.
People living in homes with high levels of radon can 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 professional contractor should install these systems; the Wisconsin Department of Health Services maintains a list of Certified Radon Mitigation Specialists, which can be found on their website: https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/radon/radon-proficiency.htm. Community members can contact the South Central Radon Information Center at 608-243-0392 to learn more about radon mitigation and talk with an expert. In addition to radon mitigation systems, sealing large gaps or cracks in basement walls or 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@greencountywi.org or 608-328-9509.
