Radon

Three things you need to know:
  1. Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers
  2. Every residence should be tested for radon gas
  3. Fix your home if your radon level is 4 Pico curies per liter (pCi/L) or higher

Radon is a cancer-causing, radioactive gas. You can't see radon. You can't smell or taste it. Radon may be a problem in your home.

 

Radon is estimated to cause many thousands of lung cancer deaths each year. When you breathe in air containing radon, radon can damage lung tissue. This tissue damage can result in lung cancer for you or a family member. If there is cigarette smoke in your home, radon hitches a ride on the smoke causing even more radon to enter into your lungs. If you smoke and your home has high radon levels, your risk of lung cancer is especially high.

 

Radon comes from the natural (radioactive) breakdown of uranium found in nearly all soils. Radon can get into the air you breathe by coming into your home through cracks and other holes in the foundation. Your home traps radon inside where it can build up. Any home may have a radon problem whether it is old, new, drafty, well sealed, has a basement or is built on a slab. Radon levels tend to be higher on the southern and western sides of Washington County but high levels have been found in all areas of the county. The only way to know about radon in your home is to test.

 

Testing is easy and should only take a few minutes of your time. Testing for radon in your home with a short-term radon test takes only 2-4 days. Test kits are available from local hardware stores and from the Washington County Health Department. Health Department radon test kits are $6.00 and available at our office at 333 E Washington St., Suite 1100, West Bend between 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday. If you would like a kit mailed to you, please send a check for $8.00 made out to the Washington County Health Department to the same address. Your completed test kit can be mailed from any mail box or post office.  Four 1st class postage stamps ($1.76) must be applied to the package. Analysis is at no charge.

 

It is very important that you read and follow the instructions that come with the kit. Basic instructions usually include the following:

  1. Close your windows and outside doors at least 12 hours before beginning the test. If you go in and out the doors, do not leave the doors open. Turn off any ventilation that brings in outside air.
  2. Place the test in the lowest lived in level of your home. This would be the basement if used an hour or more every day but otherwise place it in a 1st floor living room or bedroom.
  3. Place the test at least 20 inches above the floor away from drafts, high heat, high humidity and exterior walls where the kit won't be disturbed.
  4. Once you've finished the test, reseal the package and record your name and address along with the date and time the test began and ended on the paperwork that gets sent to the lab. Send the kit to the lab specified on the package right away for analysis.
  5. You should receive your test results within a few weeks.

If your test results are less than 4.0 pCi/L, retest every 5 years to check for any changes.  If you remodel your house, recheck before remodeling a basement and after any significant changes to the layout of your house.  If your test results are between 4 and 8 pCi/L, call the Health Department for a special long-term test kit.  Long-term kits remain in place for a whole year.  They are available from the Health Department for $20 if you pick them up or $22 if you would like one mailed to you.  A long-term test will determine if your year-round exposure is higher than 4 pCi/L.  If the result from your long-term test is at or above 4 pCi/L or if your initial and follow-up short term tests are both above 4Ci/L, call a radon mitigation contractor to have the radon vented out of your home.  You should use a licensed contractor to help assure your radon system is installed correctly.  Using a licensed contractor will help assure your family's safety and also assure future buyers of your home that the system is installed correctly.

Additional information about radon gas is available by calling 1-888-569-7236 (1-888-lowradon). Calling this number will connect you to the Health Department radon specialist for your county. You can access more information about radon, including a list of radon results by zip code and a listing for radon measurement and mitigation contractors, at the following websites: http:///www.lowradon.org and www.epa.gov/radon