Sarah Pledge Dickson, LJI Journalist
Local activism group Citizens of the Pontiac (CoP) organized a public information session in Campbell’s Bay on Saturday to raise awareness about the presence of radon in the region, and how it can affect residents’ health.
The hazardous radioactive gas is produced as uranium breaks down in rock and soil. While not particularly dangerous if diluted outdoors, the invisible, odorless and tasteless gas can be harmful to human health if it accumulates indoors. According to Health Canada, radon is the number one cause of lung cancer in non-smokers.
Judith Spence, CoP’s organizer for the event, tested for radon in her Clarendon home and got results two months ago. The test found the gas in her home at 2,200 Becquerels per cubic metre (Bq/m3), levels 11 times higher than Health Canada’s recommended maximum exposure level of 200 Bq/m3.
“I was scared shitless when I found out that my levels were extremely high,” Spence said.
She organized Saturday’s event in collaboration with the MRC Pontiac and CISSSO to raise awareness about the gas and help other Pontiac residents protect themselves against it.
The information session brought together radon experts from across the Outaouais to explain what radon is, and how to detect and reduce its presence.
“Everybody will be supported as much as possible,” Spence said. “We’re here to get some of the information today and we’ll be out there to help you.”
Kelley Bush, a member of the Health Canada Radon Protection Bureau, was one of three presenters at the event. She explained that inside buildings that have direct contact with the ground, radon can creep through cracks and tiny holes in the foundation. Without proper ventilation, the gas can build up indoors and pose a serious health risk.
“Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer for people who don’t smoke and the second main cause of lung cancer after smoking. We estimate that about 3,200 Canadians a year die of radon-induced lung cancer. That’s about eight per day,” Bush said.
According to the Association pulmonaire du Québec, 21.86 per cent of homes in the Outaouais region have higher-than-recommended levels of radon. This is up from the national average in 2018 of 18 per cent.
“It’s never a question of, ‘Do I have it?’ You do. It’s how much do you have, and the only way to know that is to test,” Bush said.
“There is no safe level of radiation exposure. Certainly the risk under 200 Bq/m3 is low, but if your levels are 199, it does not mean you’re safe.”
There are relatively simple ways to detect radon, and protect your home against it. Arthur Ladouceur from Radon Ottawa Gatineau recommends that first, people walk through their basements and look for openings near plumbing pipes or gaps in the concrete. Sealing these holes can have a significant impact on the radon concentration.
There are also single-use tests and digital readers that can be purchased or even borrowed to get an idea of how much radon is in your home. Both types of tests must be left in the home for three months to provide an accurate reading. Single-use tests are mailed back to a lab to be analyzed, while digital tests will provide accurate results after three months. They can be reset and reused by other households.
Tests can be purchased from TakeActiononRadon.ca and cost anywhere from $50 to $200.
“We are working hard to make sure that testing is available and as cost effective as possible,” Bush said, noting Health Canada is helping library programs share digital tests in the community.
If patching holes in your basement doesn’t result in a decrease in radon exposure, Ladouceur recommends contacting a certified professional to install a radon mitigation device in your basement.
“We typically get between 90 to 98 per cent reduction in the radon level with that kind of technique,” said Marcel Brascoupé, founding member of the Canadian Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists, describing how a small fan and pipe can be used to suck radon gas from under a home’s foundation and release it outdoors.
Some regions have building codes that require radon levels in homes be below the 200 Bq/m3 guideline. One such region is Chelsea, where Brascoupé worked on developing the codes. Despite the good intentions, Brascoupé said that contractors do not always live up to the codes. Some building codes also predate 2008, when Health Canada reduced its recommended radon limit from 800 Bq/m3 to 200 Bq/m3.
Pascal Proulx, assistant general director of the Western Quebec School Board (WQSB), said Saturday he was pleased to announce all 31 schools in the WQSB have radon levels below Health Canada’s recommended limit. Going forward, the WQSB plans to test five schools each year so that every six-year cycle, all 31 schools are retested.
Going forward, Spence said Citizens of the Pontiac plans to give a presentation to the MRC Pontiac’s 18 mayors about radon and what they can do to mitigate its harmful effects.
She also said CoP is now a stakeholder with CARST and is networking with Brascoupé to hold a public Zoom meeting.