Eau Claire Health Department Offering Discounted Radon Test Kits

The Eau Claire City-County Health Department is offering residents discounts on radon test kits in honor of National Radon Action Month.

Health departments from across the state are offering various discounts on radon test kits this month. Elizabeth Paulson is an environmental health specialist with the Eau Claire City-County Health Department, and explained why January is the best time of the year to test your home for radon.

“We’re spending more time in hour homes during the winter months and also because of pressure differences between the outside and the inside of your house,” she said. “So usually when we have a heavy snowfall, when we have really cold temperatures, that can allow radon to really build up in a house even more than it would in the summer months. And then with our houses being in the closed conditions, that’s the highest levels that the home can have for radon is usually winter, and that’s why we focus on testing in January.”

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. It’s also the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers.

The gas typically enters the home through the foundation, becoming trapped with windows and doors shut tight for the winter. About one in ten homes in Wisconsin have radon levels above EPA standards. Paulson says the rate is similar in just the Eau Claire area, and shared how homeowners can get the discounted test kits.

“Here in Eau Claire we have a test kit available and on our website we have a two dollar off coupon that they can access,” she said. “And then they come into the health department, we’re located on the ground floor of the courthouse, they can buy the test kits from us. Also if they’re not around a health department, you can purchase them at hardware stores but the cost may vary at a hardware store.”

If you test your home and find that you do have high radon levels, the Eau Claire City-County Health Department can also connect you with contractors to install specialized pipes and a mitigation fan to protect you from the harmful effects of the radioactive gas.