The City of Rosemère is supporting the Québec Lung Association’s provincial Cities and Municipalities Campaign Against Radon. The purpose of the campaign is to inform residents about what radon is and its effects on their health, but above all, to make them aware of the importance of measuring radon levels in their home and of taking the necessary corrective measures if the level exceeds Health Canada’s standard.
For this purpose, the Town of Rosemère is giving all its residents the opportunity to obtain a free radon test kit simply by sending their request to its Permits and Inspections Department. More details on the contents of the kits as well as on the ordering and delivery procedure are available on our website at ville.rosemere.qc.ca/en-radon/.
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Denser than the ambient air, radon is a colourless, odourless radioactive gas of natural origin that comes from uranium within soils and rocks. It is found everywhere on the planet, at various concentrations. In the open air, this gas is diluted, so it is in no way threatening. However, it can infiltrate houses—and mainly basements—through cracks in foundation walls and floor slabs, construction joints, sumps and crawl spaces, and can accumulate in high concentrations that are hazardous to health.
After smoking, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer. The risk of cancer increases with high radon concentrations, the number of years of exposure and smoking.
“By supporting this campaign, we want to protect Rosemerites’ lung health. We want to make them aware that no house—even a new construction—is safe for certain and that the only way to know what the radon concentration is in their home is to test it. More than ever, our residents are spending time at home due to the stay-at-home measures and the requirement to work from home whenever possible, so it is important to take this precaution to test for radon and then take corrective measures, if necessary. We can’t just rely on our neighbour’s results, either, because the radon concentration level can differ from one house to another,” explained Rosemère Mayor Eric Westram.
How to reduce the concentration level
Health Canada indicates that the concentration of radon in indoor air must be less than 200 becquerels per cubic metre (bq/m3) (the becquerel is the unit of radioactivity). Depending on the results of the analysis test, residents may decide to take corrective measures themselves, such as by sealing cracks and openings in walls, floors and around pipes and ducts, or by calling in a professional for more complex work, making sure that the professional is certified for this type of work.
