Brown County residents urged to test homes for radon ahead of funding application deadline

BROWN COUNTY – Brown County Health and Human Services’ Public Health Division is urging residents to get their homes tested for radon this month and, if radon is found to be present in their homes, enter Brown County’s Radon Mitigation Program before it closes Dec. 31.

Radon is a naturally occurring gas created by the breakdown of uranium in the earth that can seep into homes through the foundation or basement and it is difficult to detect or predict, making testing the only way to know for sure whether your house is affected.

“What makes it tricky is there’s no way for us as human beings to know that it’s around,” said Adam Behnke, communications specialist for Brown County Health and Human Services. “We can’t taste it, see it, smell it or feel it… Which means the only way we can know if a particular spot is at a dangerous level is to specifically test for it. And it’s also difficult to predict geographically if one particular spot is going to have a high level or a dangerous risk level or not. My neighbor could test their home and have quite low levels, but that doesn’t necessarily mean my house that’s 50 or 100 feet away would have the same result if I were to test my house.”

It’s estimated that one out of every ten homes in Wisconsin has elevated levels of radon, which can cause people to develop cancer after prolonged exposure.

In fact, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, behind only smoking.

Brown County residents interested in having their home tested for radon can pick up a free test kit at either of Brown County Public Health’s locations — 2198 Glendale Ave. in Howard or 111 N. Jefferson St. in Green Bay
“Take the test home and follow the instructions that come with it…” Behnke said. “Set it out, let it test the air around you and then mail it in to the company that will run the test for you. You’ll get your results back, typically via email, and when you get those results, if they rae at an action level, which is 4 pCi/L or above… definitely consider some sort of mitigation effort to protect your long-term health.”

Radon mitigation typically involves installing a pipe under your home’s foundation with a small fan to push radon through to a vent on the side of your home, similar to a dryer vent.

While the price of installing a radon mitigation system will vary depending on each home’s requirements, the average cost for a contractor to install a radon mitigation system is between $1,000-$2,000.

Through Brown County’s Radon Mitigation Program, though, homeowners can apply to receive $1,000 towards that cost.

“That’s not an amount of money that most of us have just lying around, earmarked for potential home improvement projects that you may or may not have known you needed,” Behnke said. “That’s why we’re hoping that we get as many people as possible to take part in this program… If you get a test and submit the results that show your home has that action level or higher, we’ll submit you into a drawing that we will do in January… Up to 50 people will receive $1,000 towards getting their home professionally mitigated.”

The funding for this program comes from a $50,000 federal grant received by Brown County for radon education and mitigation.

Selected recipients will have until June 30, 2026, to contract with a certified radon mitigation company with funds being dispersed directly to that contractor.

Learn more at stayhealthybc.com.