Last month, Peterborough Public Health conducted two workshops to educate consumers about the risk of radon gas in the home.
According to Health Canada, radon is an invisible, odourless and tasteless gas that occurs naturally when the uranium in soil and rock breaks down, releasing radioactive particles into the air. When radon is emitted from the ground into the outdoor air, it is diluted and is not a concern. However, in enclosed spaces like homes, the gas can sometimes accumulate to high levels and become a health hazard, causing damage to lung tissue and making it vulnerable to cancer.
The risk rises dramatically for those who use tobacco. A lifelong smoker’s risk developing lung cancer is one in ten, but adding long‑term exposure to a high level of radon raises that risk to one in three. For non-smokers, the lifetime lung cancer risk at the same high radon level is 1 in 20. Long-term exposure to radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking and the leading cause of lung cancer for people who have never smoked.
The air pressure inside your home is usually lower than in the soil surrounding the foundation, drawing air and other gasses from the soil into the home. Radon can enter a home any place it finds an opening where the house contacts the soil: cracks in foundation walls and in floor slabs, construction joints, gaps around service pipes, support posts, window casements, floor drains, sump pumps or interior wall cavities.
Almost all homes have some radon. The levels can vary dramatically even between similar homes located next to each other. Some of the factors affecting the amount of radon in a home are the soil characteristics, the amount of contact with the soil and the number and size of entry points for radon in the home’s design, the condition of the home’s foundation and the amount of ventilation in the home.
Fortunately, testing for radon is easy. Homeowners can purchase a detector and place it on the lowest lived-in level of a home for three months, or they can hire a certified radon measurement professional from an accredited organization.
Kits may be purchased on-line for $30 which includes a single device, instructions, laboratory analysis, and a pre-addressed envelope. The device must be exposed for 91 days to 12 months under normal living conditions and then returned to the distributor’s laboratory for analysis. Once your test period ends, you have to send back the dosimeter to the laboratory. Postage will cost between $8.00 and $10.00 and up to 4 devices can be shipped in one envelope.
“Radon is a radioactive gas that can enter the home many ways: through cracks in foundation floors and walls, gaps in service pipes, open floor drains, or any other area of exposed soil,” explained Wanda Tonus, the Public Health Inspector who led the education sessions. “Due to the nature of radon, it’s impossible to predict the likelihood of its occurrence in a home based on age or location of a home. All homes should be tested.”
For more information about this issue, visit http://www.peterboroughpublichealth.ca/radon or contact Wanda Tonus, Peterborough Public Health Inspector at 705-743-1000, ext. 285. KG
