‘Gold Standard’ radon testing kits now available in all 63 NB public libraries
Free radon testing kits will now be available in all 63 public libraries in New Brunswick, according to the provincial Department of Post-Secondary Education and Training.
The kit will include a 90-day test and information about radon gas.
A spokesperson for NB Lung said this would make New Brunswick the first province in Canada to make radon testing available to the public for free.
“This is, you know, a rare occasion where New Brunswick is ahead of the game here,” Dusty Green said.
“We see a lot of people who come to NB Lung and say the testing, you know, they can’t afford it right now, and so making it free and available to the public is a great first step.”
Minister Jean-Claude D’Amours said people would follow instructions on the single-use kits, return them to the library and the kits would then be sent to the Research and Productivity Council for analysis.
“Then it will be up to them to decide what they need to adjust to reduce radon in their home,” he said.
Radon is a naturally occurring gas created by the breakdown of uranium in soil, but it is radioactive and difficult to detect.
Radon gas can enter the home through cracks in the foundation, floors and walls and through gaps around pipes, drains and open sump pits.
D’Amores said MLAs voted unanimously last fall to provide free kits to New Brunswickers.
The Canadian guideline for radon is a maximum of 200 becquerels per cubic metre. Health Canada recommends that people who have their homes tested and find radon levels above guidelines should take corrective action.
In September, the nonprofit Take Action on Radon revealed that of the 100 homes in Grand Bay-Westfield that were included in a testing blitz, Radon levels in 28 were above Health Canada guidelines.
NB Lung runs a loan program for radon tests that offers 30-day testing kits at select libraries, but Green said the 90-day kits are more accurate.
“The 90-day kits are really the gold standard for radon testing,” Green said.
The New Brunswick government is providing free radon testing kits at all 63 public libraries in the province.
Radon tests should be conducted on the lowest level of the home, away from a vent or heat pump where people spend time, he said. He said there’s no point in putting someone in an unfinished basement, for example, where no one spends any time because what’s important is the radon levels in an area where people actually breathe the air frequently.
According to Lung Cancer Canada, Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers. and is the second leading cause of lung cancer in smokers.
Green said people who smoke and live in a home with high radon levels are especially susceptible to lung cancer.
“It’s really no one’s fault if they have high radon levels in their home,” Green said. “It really just depends on, you know, where your home is located and how easily the gas can get into your home.”
