The city of Thunder Bay’s District Health Unit is offering the support and resources for residents, so that they may have their homes tested for the presence of the deadly gas radon. By encouraging more residents to have their homes tested and report the results, the Health Unit will have a more informative view on the radon levels in the city.
Starting October 1, 2014 city residents – more than 500 households total – will be able to get their hands on free radon testing kits.
“We want to find the prevalence of high radon in Thunder Bay and in what parts of the city the risk is highest,” says Lee Sieswerda, the manager of environmental health.
“The only way to know if a home has a high level of radon is to test for it. The puck-sized radon detectors will stay in the homes for three months, and then will be collected and sent away for analysis. Residents will be notified of their results.”
What is Radon?
Radon is a colorless, tasteless and odorless gas that seeps up from the ground soil and into homes through cracks in the foundation, walls and flooring. It is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States and Canada. In the U.S. it’s responsible for more than 21,000 deaths each year, and in Canada more than 2,000 deaths.
The sad part is that there are no short term symptoms of radon and for the most part the health issues it causes can be easily prevented. One only needs to have their home tested for its presence, and if elevated levels are discovered a mitigation system needs to be installed.
The only way to discover whether or not it’s a problem is to test specifically for it. Simply put, if you don’t test you’ll never know whether or not you need to take action.
What if I Find Elevated Levels of Radon?
If city residents do, in fact find elevated levels of radon in their home after conducting a test, the District Health Unit will provide guidance and information on how to reduce it. More than likely, they will help residents get in touch with a certified radon mitigation professional who will offer a consultation and then take care of the problem. Radon mitigation systems are not too costly, ranging anywhere from $700 – $2500 depending on the system and equipment used. When you consider the fact that lung cancer has one of the highest mortality rates of all types of cancer, that cost doesn’t seem so foreboding. In light of everything, it’s actually pretty minimal.
We strongly urge Thunder Bay residents to take advantage of this opportunity, and conduct a radon test in their home.
Via: CBC News
