Radon in Wisconsin.
Owners of about 15% to 20% of the homes in Wisconsin have tested their indoor air for the carcinogenic gas radon. Five percent to 10% of homes have year-average main-floor radon levels that exceed the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) exposure guideline, and they are found in most regions of the state. Attempting to retroactively seal foundations to keep radon from the ground out of a home is largely ineffective. However, a soil-depressurization radon mitigation system is highly effective for existing houses, and new homes can easily be built radon-resistant. As the number of homeowners obtaining needed repairs increases, significant lung cancer risk reduction is being achieved in a voluntary, non-regulatory setting. In coming years, as radon in community drinking water supplies becomes regulated under the federal 1996 Safe Drinking Water Act, the "multimedia" option of the act may result in additional attention to mitigation of radon in indoor air.
Weiffenbach
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Division of Public Health, Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services, PO Box 2659, Madison, Wisconsin 53701-2659, USA.
Anderson
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D002274:Carcinogens, Environmental; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D011886:Radon; D014881:Water Supply; D014922:Wisconsin
D002274:Carcinogens, Environmental; D011886:Radon