A test conducted at the North Dumfries, Ontario township hall revealed the presence of dangerously high radon gas levels. The Director of Building and Compliance Darryl Denny, presented his report to the town council – revealing the issue which was discovered after several radon tests were conducted on property.

Dangerously High Radon Gas Levels Found in Township Hall

Denny had the property tested after attending a radon awareness presentation by Hsiu-Li Wang, Waterloo’s associate medical officer of health.

“The single test results came back significantly higher than the recommended radon levels presented by Health Canada Guidelines.”

The keywords to take away from his statement are “significantly higher,” because the radon levels are extremely high. The Health Canada Guidelines recommend keeping levels below 200 BQ, but the report expressly states that the “levels found in the basement were over 1,000 BQ per cubic metre.”

As we often recommend, Denny commissioned follow-up testing on the property over the summer to explore which areas of the building are affected the most. The subsequent testing showed that most of the township hall’s offices had radon levels from 215 BQ to 386 BQ per cubic metre. However, levels in the basement ranged from 717 BQ all the way up to 1,329 BQ per cubic metre. Even if you know absolutely nothing about radon, it’s easy to see those are dangerously high radon gas levels.

The worst levels in the township hall building were actually found in the councils chambers, reading 1,908 BQ per cubic metre. To put that into perspective, that reading is 9.5 times the recommended action level of 200 BQ per cubic metre.

Mayor Rob Deutschmann said of the levels, “that could explain a few things, maybe we shouldn’t be here.”

High Radon Gas Levels Pose a Serious Health Risk

Radon gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer – the first in nonsmokers – and is responsible for the deaths of about 3,000 deaths every year, based on findings from Health Canada. It is a natural decay product of elements like Uranium, which commonly reside in soil, and rocks underground. The gas seeps into homes and residences through cracks in the foundation, walls and flooring and collects in great amounts. It can exist anywhere, regardless of geographical location and even new homes with radon resistant construction can still exhibit high radon gas levels. That’s exactly why everyone should have their home, business or work tested for radon.

An estimated mitigation bill for the entire township hall building might cost as much as $15,000. It’s important to note that mitigation for a standard home would only be a fraction of that cost – the township hall is quite large.

Denny announced to the council that the township will be spending a total of $1,450 to have a radon consultant and expert examine the building and draw up a mitigation plan. After the total cost is available, the council can begin working on proposals to fix the problem.

If anything, this just goes to show that radon can exist anywhere, even in a township hall building.

Via: Cambridge Times