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Washington County Radon Air Test
Radon Air Test and Mitigation in Washington County
Washington county is located just northwest of Milwaukee Wisconsin. It has a square mileage of 436 miles and a population of 132,739 people. It includes such cities and towns as:
|
Hartford Germantown Slinger |
Richfield Barton Wayne |
Addison West Bend Cedar Lake |
Kewaskum Richfield Polk |
Erin Trenton Newburg |
Farmington Jackson |
High Levels of Radon in Washington County
Radon gas is a carcinogenic gas found in many homes throughout Washington County. The gas occurs from the breakdown or radioactive decay of uranium underground and arises through cracks in the foundation of homes. The EPA in the United States has said quite bluntly that any exposure to radon has some risk of causing lung cancer. Even though many people have not heard of radon, it is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States right behind smoking. For non smokers though it is the primary cause of lung cancer.
In the early 1980's Congress passed the Radon Act 51 which 0.4 pCi/L was to be the safe target for indoor levels of radon. If you look at the pie chart to the right you'll see in Washington County 48% of homes has radon levels above 4 pCi/L which is 10 times the acceptable level. 18% of homes have radon levels between 2 and 3.9 pCi/L which is still well above the safe acceptable level.
The EPA has set an action level of 4 pCi/L. If your home is above 4 pCi/L it is imperative to install a radon mitigation system. You should not assume, just because your home may be below 4 pCi/L it is safe or acceptable. Reducing radon levels below 2 pCi/L will reduce your risk of lung cancer from radon by an estimated 50%. To keep your family safe you should really get levels below .4 pCi/L.
According to the EPA people receive higher doses of radiation from radon than from all other sources of radiation combined.
Should you be concerned about radon if you live in Washington County?
The short answer is yes. You eat well, you exercise and you take care of yourself to stay healthy. Especially if you have a family you wouldn't smoke in front of your kids, would you? Radon is an invisible gas with no smell or other signs of its presence.
If you live in the 53027 zip code area your risk of high levels of radon are every high. 59 to 100% of homes in this area have high levels of radon. This includes the Town of Erin and Hartford.
If you live in the 53086 zip code area which includes all of Slinger your levels of actionable levels of radon are very high. 59% to 100% of homes tested in this area have levels above 4.0 pCi/L which is ten times higher than the recommended safe limit of 0.4 pCi/L. The majority of the Slinger WI area has accessively high levels of radon so you should definitely get a Washington County radon test to see if you need a mitigation system installed.
Other area homes in Washington County with high levels of radon include
- Zip Code 53076 (Richfield)
- Zip Code 53033 (Hubertus)
- Zip Code 53017 (Colgate)
Jackson (Zip Code 53037) and Germantown (Zip Code 53022) have a lesser amount of homes tested with radon levels above 4.0 pCi/L. In these cities and zip codes the number of homes with actionable radon levels are 42 to 58%. This is still a very high percentage of homes, so if you live in these areas you'll definitely want to get your radon levels checked.
West Bend (Zip Code 53095) has 24% to 41% of homes with radon levels above 4.0 pCi/L which is less than some of the homes in Washington County but still is a level of concern. Many homes in West Bend already have radon mitigation systems installed.
Radon Health Impacts
Radon damages lungs by attaching to dust particles in the air. Those dust particles are breathed in and embed themselves deep in the lung tissue causing a small amount of damage accumulating over time. Our lungs are one of the most important organs in our body as they deliver oxygen to our blood supply and remove carbon dioxide. An impairment in oxygen deliver could potentially lead to other health problems such as chronically be fatigued, tired all of the time, irritability, and other issues. Most of all long term exposure to radon can lead to lung cancer.