OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The Winnebago County Public Health Department is asking residents to test their homes for radon.
It’s odorless, invisible, and one of the leading causes of lung cancer in the U.S.
Stewart Sprotte, an Oshkosh resident, tells FOX 11 he has had a radon detector in his home for 4 years.
“We decided on our own, at the time we didn’t really know what it was about and it just seemed like the right idea to do.”
Health experts say he made the right decision. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer.
“It’s a naturally occurring gas. It’s from the natural decay of uranium in the soil,” said Morgan Peterson with the Winnebago Co. Health Department.
“It occurs pretty much everywhere within the United States and it’s something kind of unavoidable in most cases.”
Health experts say some high levels of radon were tested in Oshkosh, Utica, Clayton, and Fox Crossing but, Peterson tells FOX 11 the danger can vary from home to home.
“You can have a neighbor with high levels, but your home can have very low levels that you don’t need to worry about.”
Health officials say radon gas enters the house the same way air enters the home, including through cracks in the foundation floor and walls.
Peterson emphasized the only way to detect high levels of radon is through tests.
“In the summer, we usually don’t recommend testing for radon because you have your window open and you’re in and out of the house all the time. Whereas in the winter, your homes are more closed up and with the heat, the levels are higher than where there isn’t as much of a draft.”
For Radar Awareness Month, the Winnebago County Health Department is selling kits for $5 in January instead of the original $10.
Neighbors say it never hurts to be too careful.
“You don’t know if you’re going to be affected by it or not until you find out and then its too late,” said Sprotte.
If your home has high levels of radon, health experts say a certified mitigation specialist can install a system to suck the gas out.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, it exists everywhere and can get into any type of building.
Almost 1 out of every 15 homes in the U.S. is estimated to have elevated levels, which can produce health risks.
Just like carbon monoxide, radon is colorless, odorless, and tasteless.
In the U.S., the EPA says roughly 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year are because of radon.
Of those, around 3,000 are people who’ve never smoked tobacco products.
Early signs of possible lung cancer can include a persistent cough, pain in the chest, and hoarseness.
