Issue
Recent updates to the Health Hazard Response Protocol, 2018 and Healthy Environments and Climate Change Guideline, 2018 now require public health units to coordinate the monitoring and surveillance of environmental exposures of public health significance, such as radon, and provide the public with education and mitigation options.
Radon is a radioactive gas produced when naturally occurring uranium, found in soil and rock, decays. It can’t be seen, smelled or tasted and is in nearly every home across Canada. Long-term exposure to radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking and is the primary cause for non-smokers. It is estimated that 16% of lung cancers are from radon exposure, resulting in more than 3,200 deaths in Canada each year. People who smoke and are also exposed to radon have an even higher risk of lung cancer. Health Canada has set the Canadian guideline for indoor radon levels in the home at 200 Becquerels per cubic metre (Bq/m3).
Background
In a cross-Canada study released by Health Canada in 2012, 13.8% of homes tested in Windsor and Essex County (WEC) had radon levels at or above 200 Bq/m3 compared to 8.2% in Ontario. To gain a better understanding of radon levels in WEC, and to educate the general public about radon risks and how to test their homes, the WECHU conducted a 3-year Radon: Know Your Level study. Results from the study were comparable to the cross-Canada study and found that 11% of homes tested in Windsor-Essex County (n=2,364) had levels at or above 200 Bq/m3.
The health risk from radon is long-term, not immediate. Techniques to lower radon levels are effective and can be done for about the same cost as other common home repairs such as replacing the furnace or air conditioner. The only way to know what the radon level is in a home or building is to test for it. The higher the radon level, the sooner it needs to be fixed.
Proposed Motion
Whereas, long-term radon exposure is the second leading cause of lung cancer in Canada after smoking and the primary cause of lung cancer in non-smokers; and
Whereas, approximately 11% of homes in Windsor-Essex County have levels at or above Health Canada’s guideline of 200 Bq/m3, and
Whereas, testing is the only accurate way to know a home or building’s radon level, and
Now therefore be it resolved that the Windsor-Essex County Board of Health will support education and advocacy efforts related to radon testing, prevention, and mitigation in Windsor-Essex County; and
FURTHER THAT, the Windsor-Essex County Board of Health encourages local municipalities to update their municipal bylaws to include requirements for radon testing or rough-ins for radon mitigation systems in all new residential and commercial builds; and
FURTHER THAT, the Windsor-Essex County Board of Health supports local municipalities to develop and adopt policies that will require radon testing in existing municipally owned public buildings or buildings with on-site municipal staff; and
FURTHER THAT, the Windsor-Essex County Board of Health encourages school boards, licensed child care centres, and public libraries to develop and adopt policies that require radon testing in current and future facilities; and
FURTHER THAT, the Windsor-Essex County Board of Health encourages the provincial government to adopt amendments to the Ontario Building Code requiring all newly built homes and buildings to not exceed indoor radon levels above 200 Bq/m3.