P.E.I. should raise awareness about effects of radon, expert says
Shane Ross | CBC News | Posted: August 3, 2023 9:00 AM | Last Updated: August 3, 2023
Province should consider subsidizing mitigation costs, says member of working group
P.E.I. needs a plan to prevent lung cancer caused by radon and help Islanders understand why they need to test for it, says a regional group of health professionals and officials looking to lower cancer rates attributed to the radioactive gas.
Radon is colourless, odourless and has no taste. The gas is found naturally in the environment.
Health Canada estimates that about 16 per cent of lung cancer deaths are related to radon exposure in homes.
Jeff LeBlanc is vice-president of the Canadian Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists, and a member of the Atlantic Radon Working Group.
He said Atlantic Canadians need help paying for the systems required to rid their homes of radon, which can cost thousands of dollars.
LeBlanc said the provincial government should consider covering those costs for Islanders.
"The demand on health care would drop so much because of the reduction in cancer that it only makes fiscal sense to invest the money in some kind of a credit or grant for homeowners," he said.
"I would love to see it as a taxable credit that someone could apply for."
$3,000 bill
LeBlanc said homeowners should regularly check radon levels in their homes.
Sharon Labchuk recently tested her home for radon and found it to be above the recommended national levels.
She spent more than $3,000 to stop radon gas from seeping in through the foundation.
Labchuk said the government should be doing more to raise awareness about the dangers of radon, and what can be done to mitigate it.
"I'm annoyed. I'm angry sometimes that the government of P.E.I. has done so little to let people know about this," she said. "In Western Canada, where I lived for a while, there's quite a bit of awareness around radon."
LeBlanc said there are no easy fixes when it comes to preventing radon from entering a home.
He said if it's in the ground, it will usually find a way in.
"Radon comes into our homes because of the natural physics of a home in a building," he said. "Our houses are basically sucking air from the ground into our basements. New and old houses, it doesn't make a difference."
Last week, a survey of 20 P.E.I. schools found four of the institutions had slightly elevated radon levels. Officials said the levels were deemed safe, but the schools required mitigation.
The P.E.I. Chief Public Health Office is also part of the working group, which was established in 2022. A meeting will be held later this year to discuss a province-specific radon action plan.
The province will participate in the national Take Action on Radon campaign, raising awareness about the radioactive gas for Radon Action Month this November.