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

[Jerry Cuttler]

Jaro,

It seems that Health Canada is using the LNT hypothesis of radiation 
carcinogenesis to predict lung cancer risk.  Unfortunately, they are using a 
positive slope instead of the observed negative slope (see attached slide  1 
pCi/L = 37 Bq/m^3).  It seems Health Canada got the wrong answer.

When Vera and I were at the Free Enterprise uranium mine in Montana a few 
years ago, we stayed in 1650 pCi/L of radon for at least 30 hours.  I think 
this exposure is about one working level month that uranium miners are 
allowed each month.



Jerry



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jaro" <jaro-10kbq at sympatico.ca>
To: "RADSAFE" <radsafe at radlab.nl>; "multiple cdn" 
<cdn-nucl-l at mailman1.cis.McMaster.CA>
Sent: Friday, February 09, 2007 7:27 AM
Subject: [cdn-nucl-l] " Half-million exposed to high radon in homes "


> 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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