January is National Radon Action Month. According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, about 1 out of 10 homes in Wisconsin has high radon levels.
Radon is an invisible, odorless, tasteless gas, which can enter your home through cracks in the foundation, openings around joists and pipes, and dirt floors. Radon can build high levels inside your home, and long term exposure to these high levels of radon is a risk for lung cancer.
The Surgeon General advises, in a press release to NBC26, that exposure to radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer and that radon combined with cigarette smoke poses an increased risk of lung cancer.
The Outagamie County Public Health Department says the only way to know if you have a safe level of radon inside your home is to conduct a radon test. The test is simple, quick, and inexpensive.
The Outagamie County Public Health Division says they offer a limited supply of short term test kits for free during the month of January.
After January, radon test kits will be available to homeowners for $8. Kits can be picked up at the Outagamie County Public Health office.
