Test your home. Protect your health.
January is Radon Action Month. Throughout the month, the Fond du Lac County Health Department is making a special push to urge everyone to test their home for radon. Radon exposure is the second leading cause of lung cancer overall and leading cause of lung cancer for non-smokers. The Department of Health Services estimates that 1 of 10 homes in Wisconsin have high radon levels.
Radon is a naturally occurring gas in Wisconsin soils and is responsible for an estimated 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Radon gas can move freely through soil and up into the atmosphere where it is safely diluted. However, when radon enters a building it can become concentrated and reach unhealthy levels. Radon can enter a building through cracks and openings in the foundation, floor, walls, sump pumps, plumbing, wiring, or ductwork. In 2022, 43% of tests performed in Fond du Lac County had high levels of radon.
You cannot smell, taste, or see radon; the only way to know if you have high radon levels is to test for it. With the increased number of people working from home, it is more important now than ever to test homes for radon. If a home has radon levels at or above 4 picocuries, it presents a health risk. More than 100 radon mitigation contractors in Wisconsin are nationally certified to install radon mitigation systems if elevated radon levels are found. Thousands of systems are installed in existing homes in Wisconsin each year.
In conjunction with Radon Action Month, the Fond du Lac County Health Department will be offering FREE short-term radon test kits during the month of January. Limit one per household, while supplies last. Pick up your FREE radon kit at 160 S. Macy Street, 3rd floor, Monday through Friday from 8-4:30 P.M. Contact your local city/town clerk for kit availability.
Short-term radon test kits are available year-round for $10.
Visit www.lowradon.org or contact the Fond du Lac County Health Department at (920) 929-3085 for additional information on radon.
