1. RADON Steve Lisser Environmental Health Specialist
Sauk County Health Department

2. SAUK COUNTY ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
Inspections
Hotels, tourist rooming houses, B&B’s
Restaurants and retail food
Campgrounds
School lunch programs
Tattoo and piercing
Well water sampling and sanitary surveys
Environmental concerns and health hazards
Lead mercury Rabies
Air quality Water quality Waste
Housing Education/consulting Radon

3. WHAT IS RADON? Radioactive gas Colorless, odorless, tasteless
Naturally occurring
Inert noble gas: Radon gas does not carry an electrical charge and easily passes through filters.

4. HEALTH RISK
Radon gas is a group 1 carcinogen. (proven and demonstrated to cause cancer)
Leukemia and childhood leukemia
Radon decay products release alpha particles that damage lung tissue DNA. This leads to an uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the lungs (lung cancer).

5. HEALTH RISK
Radon exposure is the second leading cause of lung cancer and the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers. Around 21,000 lung cancer deaths per year in the U.S. caused by radon.
If living in a home with a radon concentration of 4 pCi/L, smokers are 8 times more likely to get lung cancer from radon exposure than non-smokers
Any exposure to radiation increases cancer risk and there is no threshold value or acceptable exposure that has been scientifically proven. No “safe” exposure level has been scientifically established.

6. WHERE DOES RADON COME FROM?
Uranium deposits
Uranium and radium decay result in radon gases
Radon zones: Average indoor radon concentrations.
Zone 1: >4 pCi/L
Zone 2: 2-4 pCi/L
Zone 3: <2 pCi/L

7. WHERE DOES RADON COME FROM?

8. RADON TESTING Radon is measured in units of pCi/L
Annual average U.S. radon concentration levels: 0.4 pCi/L outdoors and 1.3 pCi/L indoors
Action levels:
Action is not required by law, but it is recommended.
EPA action level: 4.0 pCi/L
Due to the many factors that contribute to elevated radon concentrations, it is not possible to predict whether your house is putting you at an increased risk. Assumptions can not be made about indoor radon levels based on geography, building age, or neighbors test results.
Radon measurement is needed to determine risk.
Encourage your neighbors and loved ones to get their homes tested.

9. RADON TEST KITS Duration Placement of Short Term Kits
Short term kits: Generally 2-4 days
Long term kits: 91 days or longer
Placement of Short Term Kits
Must be done under closed house conditions
Non-real estate: lowest lived in level
Real estate transactions: Lowest livable level
Test should not be done in kitchens, bathrooms, closets, crawl spaces, hallways, or laundry rooms
20 inches from floor, 3 feet from openings to the outdoors, 3 feet from any door or window, 1 foot from exterior walls, 4 inches from other objects
Placed in an area where it will not be disturbed and away from heat sources and high humidity.
Radon kit will include instructions for placement and shipping. Be sure to fill out all of the paperwork completely.

10. RADON ENTRY
While radon is naturally occurring, the elevated concentrations that are often found in homes are unnatural.
Indoor air radon sources:
Soil Gasses
Well water
Building materials
The way that buildings are designed, built, and operated can lead to an unnecessary cancer risk.

11. FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE INDOOR RADON CONCENTRATIONS
Source strength
Transport of soil gasses
Depressurization
Stack effect
Building use
Environmental factors
Pathways
geology
Soil permeability
Openings into the house
Ventilation

12. RADON MITIGATION Making the decision Sealing alone is ineffective.
If initial test is under 4.0 pCi/L, no action is needed.
If initial test is between 4.0 and 8.0 pCi/L, conduct long term follow up test and remediate if long term test is over 4.0 pCi/L
If initial test is above 8.0 pCi/L, conduct short term follow up test and remediate if average is above 4.0 pCi/l
Sealing alone is ineffective.
Soil depressurization is most common and effective method of radon reduction.

13. RADON MITIGATION

14. RADON MITIGATION Cost estimates: not reliable Post mitigation concerns
Installation cost: $800 and up
Annual operating cost: Around $70 to $150
Post mitigation concerns
A short term test is done between 24 hours and 30 days after mitigation system installation. The test must be placed in the same location as the initial measurements.
Recommended to retest every two years thereafter.
Leave fan running and do not attempt to change system. Call the mitigation contractor who installed the system for technical assistance.

15. RADON AND LANDLORD/TENANT
Radon levels are not regulated so there are no enforceable standards for required indoor radon concentrations.
Health department has no authority to order a landlord (or anyone) to mitigate a property.
Tenants may still want to test their apartments so they can make an informed decision about lease renewal.
Upper floors vs lower floors risk

16. RADON RESOURCES Test Kits $10 www.epa.gov/radon Handout materials
PowerPoint presentation ( for sent copy)
Test kits available at the following locations during late fall and winter months:
Sauk County Health Department - West Square Building, Baraboo
Lake Delton Village Offices - 50 Wisconsin Dells Pkwy South
Reedsburg City Hall S. Locust St
Spring Green Village Offices N Lexington Street
Prairie Du Sac Village Office Galena Street
Sauk County Health Department (608)

17. QUESTIONS?