November is National Radon Action Month in Canada.
Radon is a silent killer potentially lurking in your homes, but because its effects are not instantly fatal like from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning or smoke inhalation from fumes from a raging fire, Radon doesn’t seem to be given the attention it deserves.
Radon is everywhere. According to Health Canada, it’s a naturally occurring radioactive gas created as uranium found in soil and rock decays. Like CO, it’s also odourless and tasteless. In Canada, Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer, next to smoking, and the number one cause of cancer in non-smokers. In fact, according to Stats Can, in studies done in 2016 & 2017, deaths from Radon induced were almost 10x that of CO.
Now living in Edmonton, AB you might think – I don’t have a Radon problem, otherwise I would have likely heard about it. In fact, the Canadian Prairies has the 2nd highest levels of Radon in the world next to Poland.
Yes, Radon in Your Neighbourhood
My Radon was discovered by accident. I was testing a gadget called the Airthings Wave for review for a magazine article. Airthings designs at-home Radon and Air Quality measurement devices. Over a period of a year, I discovered that Radon levels in my home were on average almost double that at which my home needed mitigation.
I was no doubt a little worried. This was obviously a concern that needed to be addressed and thus began my investigation and research. It included speaking with experts, scientists, remediators, lung associations, government officials and even people who had lung cancer despite never shaving smoked.
This resulted in a series of three articles called the Dangers of Radon, published by Troy Media.
Articles Include:
Radon: the silent killer lurking in your home
The myths and misconceptions surrounding radon
How I discovered radon in my home and mitigated it
November is National Radon Action Month in Canada. I encourage you all to read the articles and take action on Radon. A simple test might just give you peace of mind.
Greg Gazin
