You can’t see it, smell it, or taste it, but it can be deadly.
Radon is a radioactive gas naturally released from rocks, soil, and water. It’s in the air we breathe and in small doses it’s generally not considered harmful.
But radon’s threat changes when it enters homes. It can seep into houses and buildings through small cracks or holes and build up in the air. Over time, breathing in high levels of radon can cause lung cancer. Tobacco smokers are especially at risk of radon’s adverse health effects — the risk of lung cancer is 10 times higher than that of non-smokers.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services has an interactive map of radon test results to see where radon levels are the highest. (WDHS)
Public Health Madison and Dane County recently revealed that roughly half of the homes tested for radon in Dane County over the past three years have shown elevated levels of the gas. According to the state Department of Health Services, one in 10 Wisconsin homes has high radon levels. In an effort to bring awareness to the issue, Gov. Tony Evers has declared January National Radon Action Month in Wisconsin.
Thankfully, you can keep yourself and your family safe from radon with regular testing. You can buy test kits directly from PHMDC or a certified radon mitigation contractor can run tests for you. Otherwise, many hardware stores also carry them for $25 or less.
Using the test is simple. All you need to do is open up the kit and put it in a room on the lowest level of your house that you spend at least seven hours a week in. After two to four days, send the test to a lab for analysis and you’ll typically get a result in a couple of weeks.
