Clark County Health Department: January is National Radon Awareness Month
Monday, January 21st, 2019 -- 8:56 AM
-January is National Radon Awareness Month. Federal estimates identify radon gas exposure as the leading cause of lung cancer in the United States among non-smokers, and the second leading cause of lung cancer overall."Radon causes more lung cancer cases among non-smokers than second-hand tobacco smoke. Fortunately, lung cancer caused by radon is largely preventable," said Robert Leischow, Clark County Health Officer. "Radon enters buildings through cracks and gaps in foundations, so air concentrations can be very different from one home to another." Radon comes from the natural decay of uranium in soil, rock and water. Radon is an invisible, odorless, radioactive gas. Radon is not an irritant to the eyes or nose, nor is it an allergen. You can’t smell, see or taste it. The only risk from radon in air is lung cancer, after many years of breathing it in.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Surgeon General, radon causes about 3,000 lung cancer deaths per year among people who have never smoked. As the concentration of radon gas increases in the home, the risk for lung cancer increases as well. Among smokers, the risk of lung cancer is almost 10x greater than that of nonsmokers with exposure to unsafe levels of radon in the home. The unsafe level of radon exposure is 4 pCi/L (picoCurries per liter of air). At this level, roughly seven people will develop lung cancer per 1,000 individuals exposed among nonsmokers, and that risk escalates to 62 people per 1,000 individuals exposed among smokers. As the exposure level doubles, so does the risk of developing lung cancer for smokers and nonsmokers alike. So it is important to test your home for radon gas to help reduce your risk of developing lung cancer later in life. Radon test kits are available from local hardware stores and with the Clark County Health Department.
The EPA estimates that nearly 1 in 15 homes in the United States have elevated radon levels. Wisconsin data indicates that between five and ten percent of homes have elevated levels of radon in the air of usable living spaces. In 2017, six out of fourteen homes (43%) in Clark County tested above the safe level of radon exposure. Comprehensive radon information for Wisconsin is available on the Department of Health Service's website at http://www.lowradon.org, as well as an interactive map that displays average radon levels based on zip-codes throughout the entire state.
Radon can be controlled in any home. There are more than 60 radon mitigation contractors in Wisconsin that are nationally certified to install radon control systems. Thousands of systems are installed in Wisconsin homes each year. If you are building a new home and want to prevent radon entry, state health officials recommend using standards for green buildings that are defined by the National Association of Home Builders. The Clark County Health Department has short term radon kits available for $6.00. Please call 715-743-5105 for more information.
Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.