A new study from the New Brunswick Lung Association shows about 10 per cent of homes tested in Saint Andrews have radon – a toxic gas linked to lung cancer.
The organization said the response by the resident was overwhelming during a testing campaign in the community held at the W.C. O’Neill arena complex.
“The kits were available for collection from 3 p.m., and the response was overwhelming,” it said during the report. “By the end of the night, 438 test kits had been distributed.”
Melanie Langille said some people requested kits after the fact.
“Thank you so much to the residents of Saint Andrews for coming out en masse,” she said in an interview on Wednesday.
Radon is a colourless, odourless gas found naturally in the environment, but can be harmful to human health, and is the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers.
The report indicated that 327 out of the 501 total tests were counted, with many ruled out for various reasons. It showed that 34 out of 327 tests, or about 10.4 percent, were above the 200 becquerels per cubic meter.
Another 40 per cent were around 100 Bq/m3, which is below the Health Canada threshold, but still should be considered for the mitigation process.
“NB Lung recommends that the Town familiarize itself with Health Canada’s Radon Action Guidelines for Municipalities and formulate a plan for repeat community testing to monitor these “grey area” results,” the report said.
Mitigation required at 200 Bq/m3
It is recommended mitigation be taken at levels above 200 Bq/m3.
“You can reduce that level drastically through, what’s called, radon mitigation, which is installing a ventilation system, essentially, beneath the slab of the house,” Langille said. “Where it takes the gas out and evacuates it to the outside air, where it’s not a problem because it dissipates and it’s not at high levels.”
Langille said as energy efficiency retrofits become more important for the environment, it becomes more important to test and mitigate for radon.
“If you’re doing things like energy efficiency retrofits, that tightens up the home, and that keeps any radon that is coming in,” she said.
NB Lung recommends individuals test their homes every five years.
They are also advocating provincially to take the tax of the mitigation for radon in people’s homes – given radon is the leading cause of lung cancer for non-smokers at 16 per cent.
It is responsible for more than 3,000 lung cancer-related deaths in Canada per year.
Below the provincial average
Saint Andrews Mayor Brad Henderson said he was relieved by the results, which did show the town was below the provincial average.
“Although if you’re in one of those houses, it’s concerning,” he said in an interview. “I was a little bit relieved to see that we were below the provincial average. If you look at the soil composition, we have the type of, you could say, (a) conglomeration of stone and sandstone and and pottery, all that stuff. It’s very obvious to be worried.”
He said because this report is new, it would be too early to say how the town might react to the concern around energy efficiency – what it might implement or take into consideration for energy-efficient buildings to go up or be retrofitted in the future.
Henderson attended a recent Union of Municipalities of New Brunswick (UMNB) conference, where they spoke of advocacy to remove the harmonized sales tax from the mitigation required for radon.
“This is really the first time I’ve seen a strong presence of talking about this,” he said. “I think the first part is education, but the fact that you’ve got UNMB, plus the Lung Association, advocating and making it a bigger issue.”
Langille said the NB Lung Association is also advocating for funding to assist homeowners in mitigating radon.
Radon testing is available in New Brunswick, but Langille recommends buying a CNRPP-certified test and lab – and getting a long-term test.