Dauphin has a radon problem.
Participating in the latest 100 Radon Test Kit Challenge through Take Action on Radon and BC Lung, the community had confirmed what was widely known, radon levels in the city are well above Health Canada guidelines.
Targetting communities where radon testing has thus far been limited, but where there is a potential for homes to have elevated radon levels, the 100 Radon Test Kit Challenge program provides municipalities the means to provide up to 100 test kits to citizens for free.
In Dauphin 200 test kits were distributed to monitor radon levels for a period of 90 days. A community report following processing of the kits showed that 92 per cent of the homes tested were above the Health Canada guideline of 200 becquerels per cubic metre.
And while that number might not mean much to people, radon - a naturally occurring radioactive gas found in every building in Canada as a result of the breakdown of uranium in the ground - is a serious problem, said deputy city manager Lisa Gaudet.
“Dauphin has been identified as having one of the highest rates of radon in the soil in Canada, not just in Manitoba, but in Canada,” Gaudet said.
“It is critical that we get the messaging out there. I think that because radon is odourless and you can’t see it, people don’t want to really face the fact that it’s a risk to their health. And it is a serious risk. Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers. More than 3,000 people in Canada die each year from radon-related lung cancer.”
To address the problem Gaudet has prepared a proposal for Health Canada’s Radon Outreach Contribution Program for $45,000 to support the roll-out of a three-year Radon Action Plan for Dauphin.
As radon levels vary, even between neighbouring houses, the only way for homeowners to determine their home’s radon level is to test for it.
Given that, the main thrust of the proposal is for the City to spearhead an additional 100 Radon Test Kit Challenges annually over three years, each November, which is Radon Awareness Month, Gaudet said.
Find the full story in this week’s edition of the Dauphin Herald.
