[ RadSafe ] " Half-million exposed to high radon in homes "

[Jaro]

http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=2cd03c71-640c-4353-
aa48-27bc22151055
Half-million exposed to high radon in homes
Feds set to lower levels considered acceptable
CanWest News Service, Friday, February 09, 2007

About 500,000 Canadians live in homes that exceed pending federal guidelines
for radon gas, a naturally occurring radioactive substance that health
officials call a quiet killer, the Vancouver Sun has learned.

New research into health risks linked with radon - a by-product of the decay
of uranium in soils and rocks that can accumulate at dangerous levels in
homes - is prompting Ottawa to significantly lower the threshold at which
homeowners should take remedial action.

The gas is odourless, colourless and tasteless; like smoking, it can take
many years of radon inhalation to damage lung tissue at the DNA level. Radon
is considered the leading cause of lung cancer after smoking.

Hot spots include Winnipeg, Nova Scotia and the British Columbia Interior,
where an estimated 60,000 residents live in homes that pose an unacceptable
risk. Health Canada estimates radon gas kills 2,000 people annually in this
country - more than fires, drownings, air crashes and accidental poisonings
combined.

Canada is poised to lower the guideline for radon gas in homes to 200
becquerels per cubic metre from 800 becquerels (a measurement of
radioactivity), which means thousands of homes that once were considered
safe are now viewed as a risk of lung cancer.

Such countries as Australia, Spain, and the United Kingdom already have a
standard of 200 becquerels. The United States has the lowest of all at 150
becquerels, a level adopted in 1986.

Health Canada estimates three per cent of homes in this country exceed 200
becquerels, based on a country-wide survey conducted nearly 30 years ago in
summer, when radon levels are lowest.

Radon test kits are available on the Internet for less than $50. They are
completed over three to six months during winter, when doors and windows are
closed and radon levels are highest.

Remediation options include sealing cracks in concrete floor slabs, fitting
airtight covers on sumps, installing special traps in basement drains,
covering over exposed soils, and installing a ventilation system to move the
radon outdoors.

Federal Health Minister Tony Clement is expected to approve the new
guideline soon. It's up to each province and territory to decide how to
apply it.

- For further information, visit: Health Canada,
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/iyh-vsv/environ/radon_e.html

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp., http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/ and search
for radon














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