Protection Starts at Home Radon Test Kits
Grand Forks, BC – October 19, 2021 – The City of Grand Forks is pleased to be working with Take Action on Radon, a coalition of national health organizations, to raise awareness on the dangers of radon gas.
We are inviting all residents of Grand Forks and surrounding Regional District of Kootenay Boundary Area “D” residents to participate in the 100 Radon Test Kit Challenge which is a program that provides free radon test kits to residents. All participants in the program are encouraged to attend the Radon Information Session via Zoom on Thursday, October 25th to learn more about the health effects of radon, why it’s a concern in our area, and Health Canada recommendations. The information session will also provide all participants with details on where and when to pick up your radon detector.
The leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers, radon gas can be found in elevated concentrations in homes across the country. While Canada has had a National Radon Plan for over a decade, many Canadians remain unaware of the deadly gas.
“On average 58 Canadians will die from lung cancer every day, making it the leading cause of cancer death in Canada,” says Lynn Murad, Cancer Prevention Specialist, Canadian Cancer Society. “It’s important that Canadians know they can control their risk from radon by testing their homes and reducing their exposure.”
Leford Lafayette of the City of Grand Forks is coordinating the program for the community. “After learning about this program, I thought it was a great opportunity to help families test their homes for radon. We are all spending more time at home, and so it’s an important step for families to take to reduce their radon levels. Also, the aggregate results from the testing will inform our decisions around radon mitigation measures for new buildings and renovations here in the Building Department.”
“Radon is a well-established human carcinogen and testing and reducing radon levels is an important method of lung cancer prevention.” says Dr. Anne-Marie Nicol, a researcher from the Faculty of Sciences from Simon Fraser University, “Residential radon is marked as Canadians’ primary exposure to radon; preventing radon exposure will reduce the number of Canadians dying of lung cancer.”
‘Testing for radon is simple to do, and there are effective solutions available to reduce radon levels in homes where radon levels are elevated,” says Pam Warkentin, Executive Director of CARST and Project Manager, Take Action on Radon. “The first step is to know your radon level. Every home needs to test for radon – it’s that simple.”
For citizens of Grand Forks, now is the perfect time to Take Action on Radon. Residents are encouraged to sign up for the program at https://takeactiononradon.ca/100-radon-test-kit-challenge/ The free Radon Information Session will occur online: Monday, October 25 at 7:00pm. Participants will be able to pick up their radon test the following days from City Hall.
