Canadian Safety Reporter

CANADIAN SAFETY REPORTER Group calls for creation of radon registry Continued from page 1 harmless in outdoor environments, it becomes dangerous when it is allowed to accumulate in closed-in spaces, such as homes and offices. If passed in to law, the private members bill — formally known as Bill 96, Radon Awareness and Prevention Act — will require the province to measure radon levels in every provinciallyowned building, and to take steps to remediate them where necessary. In addition, the bill seeks to mandate the province to actively educate the public about radon gas exposure and encourage homeowners to measure the radon levels in personal homes. "It's everywhere and Health Canada has done the study that basically says that," says Steve Mahoney, president of Toronto-based Radiation Safety Institute of Canada. "It exists in everyone's backyard and possibly everyone's home and office in various different levels. The key is to make sure it's safe." A 2012 Health Canada survey of nearly 14,000 Canadian homes revealed that about seven per cent of Canadians live in homes with radon levels above maximum guidelines. When radon escapes from the ground and enters the air, it disintegrates through decay products called radon progeny. As radon progeny begin to decay, they emit radioactive alpha particles and attach to particles in the air — including dust and aerosols. If inhaled, radon progeny are deposited on the cells lining the airways where the alpha particles can damage DNA and potentially cause lung cancer. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in Canada, according to Health Canada. "In Canada, it's been estimated that 16 per cent of all lung cancer deaths annually are related to radon exposure," says Connie Choy, an air quality co-ordinator with Toronto-based Ontario Lung Association. The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies radon as a carcinogen and also ranks it as the second leading cause of lung cancer after tobacco. Smokers and individuals exposed to second-hand smoke see their chances of developing lung cancer increase to 30 per cent. "It's really important that we speak to people who are smokers or former smokers or people who are exposed to second hand smoke somewhere because of the increased risk from both smoking and radon combined together," Choy says. "Having that one in three risk of getting lung cancer is very serious statistic." Radon can be found in almost any building. "It could be found in one building, but the one next door could have really low levels of radon. It really can vary," she says. "Because of that, our main message is that every office or home should test for radon, especially if there are people spending at least four hours or more in that location." Radon is a heavy gas, so it usually accumulates in the lower levels of a building. If inhaled, radon progeny are deposited on the cells lining the airways where the alpha particles can damage DNA. "In office buildings, that would be a basement office or a ground office of a building," Choy says. If people don't spend too much time in the basement, Choy suggests testing the main level of the building. High levels of radon have been found on main levels of buildings that are connected to the ground outside. "It's a gas and can get into a building really easily," she says. "So any cracks in the ground, even open windows." To test for radon, a test kit must be purchased from a hardware store. "It looks like a miniature hockey puck," says Choy. The puck is left in one spot for 90 days and then sent to the Radiation Safety Institute for testing. The InstiCanadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2013 tute is able to determine whether radon is present in the air, as well as provide insight as to how widespread the exposure could be. "Once you know that, it's very simple to remediate because it's all simply about air ventilation and moving the air because radon dissipates when it hits open air," says Mahoney. Radon registry An important part of Bill 96 is the creation of a publicly-accessible national registry of tested buildings with corresponding radon levels. The registry would be modeled after Health Canada's National Dose Registry (NDR), Mahoney says. The NDR contains the dose records of individuals who are monitored for occupational exposure to radiation, such as some mine workers. "When we monitor miners in Northern Saskatchewan, they wear what we call personal alpha dosimeters (PAD). It measures the dosage of exposure to all those miners that are working underground in the uranium mines where there is obviously higher exposure and very rich uranium in Northern Saskatchewan," he says. Every month, the PAD is sent to a lab for testing and a new PAD is issued. A measurement is taken from the old PAD and registered with the NDR. "It's mandatory if you're in the uranium business. They don't have an option," he says. Bill 96 will also require the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing launch an education program to encourage people to have their homes tested. "Part of the educational program would be to say to people, 'You know, this is a good thing for you to do because you're going to actually prove that you're home does not have radon gas and if it does you're going to ventilate to ensure that the area is clean," he says. "It should be thought of as a positive thing." Mahoney hopes to have the bill passed later this year or in early 2014. "I am still hopeful this can occur before the budget next spring — which could plunge us into an election and we would have to start over," he says. 3

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