As part of National Radon Action Month in Wisconsin, the City of Oak Creek Health Department and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services are advising people to test their homes during the winter months.

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that comes from trace amounts of uranium, thorium, and radium in rock and soil. It is an invisible, odorless, tasteless gas that seeps up through the ground and diffuses into the air. Radon can enter the homes through cracks in floors, walls, or foundations, and collect indoors. Neighboring homes can have different elevated levels of radon. It is estimated that 5 to 10 % of the homes in Wisconsin will have elevated levels of radon. According to the National Cancer Institute, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States and is associated with 15,000 to 22,000 lung cancer deaths each year. Any home may have a radon problem. This means new and old homes, well-sealed and drafty homes and homes without basements. Testing is the only way to know if you and your family are at risk from radon.

The Oak Creek Health Department has been awarded a Radon Grant for 2012. This grant will allow the Health Department to offer free short-term and long-term radon kits. It is an easy to use radon test kit offered to City of Oak Creek single family home residents. The kits provide information on how to collect the sample and mail to a certified laboratory.

In addition, questions about radon including assistance in interpreting results can be obtained by calling the Oak Creek Heath Department at 414-768-6539 or the State of Wisconsin radon information line at 1-888-569-7236.

You can also visit the Wisconsin Department of Health Service's website, http://dhfs.wisconsin.gov/dph_beh/radonprot to learn more about radon. The information provided includes tips on reducing radon in homes, a list of nationally certified contractors who are able to assist homeowners in fixing radon problems, and guidelines for building new homes that will help prevent or slow radon entry into a home.