'It is very scary': Advocates urge Manitobans to test homes for radon
Health advocates are warning Manitobans about an odorless, colourless danger that could be lurking in your home.
November is Radon Action Month. To mark the occasion, the Manitoba Lung Association is reminding the public about the dangers of the naturally occurring radioactive gas and how you can protect yourself and your home from its effects.
According to Manitoba Lung Association President and CEO Juliette Mucha, the uranium in the ground that naturally breaks down and seeps into the air is not a threat to people.
“But when it dilutes and escapes into our homes through foundation cracks, windows, doors—any type of those mediums when it’s trapped inside— that’s when it can be harmful to our health,” she said in an interview with CTV Morning Live Winnipeg.
According to Health Canada data from 2020, over 19 per cent of Manitoba homes have higher than recommended levels of radon of 200 becquerels per cubic meter. By the time some folks test, it can be too late.
“A lot of times we will see stage four lung cancer that arises because radon is the leading cause of lung cancer after smoking,” Mucha said.
“It is very scary.”
To protect yourself and those in your home, the Manitoba Lung Association is selling home radon testing kits. A portion of the proceeds will go back to the organization, Mucha said.
The one-time kit takes 90 days to collect a sample in your home by absorbing any radon in the air. Afterwards, you send it to a lab for analysis.
“They will let you know what your levels are and what you can do.”
The organization also offers a grant program to help offset some of the costs to rid your home of high radium levels, as those upgrades could cost thousands of dollars.
Even if you’re below the guideline, Mucha said there are still precautions you can take, like using an air purifier or a digital radon monitor.
More details can be found on the Manitoba Lung Association website.
- With files from CTV’s Rachel Lagacé
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian government announces new border security plan amid Donald Trump tariff threats
The federal government has laid out a five-pillared approach to boosting border security, though it doesn't include specifics about where and how the $1.3-billion funding package earmarked in the fall economic statement will be allocated.
Fall sitting bookended by Liberal byelection losses ends with Trudeau government in tumult
The House of Commons adjourned on Tuesday, bringing an end to an unstable fall sitting that has been bookended by Liberal byelection losses. The conclusion of the fall sitting comes as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority government is in turmoil.
Prosecutors charge suspect with killing UnitedHealthcare CEO as an act of terrorism
The man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare's CEO has been charged with murder as an act of terrorism, prosecutors said Tuesday as they worked to bring him to a New York court from from a Pennsylvania jail.
Police chief says motive for Wisconsin school shooting was a 'combination of factors'
Investigators on Tuesday are focused on trying to determine a motive in a Wisconsin school shooting that left a teacher and a student dead and two other children in critical condition.
'She will not be missed': Trump on Freeland's departure from cabinet
As Canadians watched a day of considerable political turmoil for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his government given the sudden departure of Chrystia Freeland on Monday, it appears that U.S. president-elect Donald Trump was also watching it unfold.
Alcohol is not good for us. 5 tips to stay safe(r) if you drink
The holidays and New Year’s Eve are fast approaching, and for many, that means alcohol-infused festivities and gatherings to navigate.
The world's busiest flight routes for 2024 revealed
If you think planes have got fuller and the skies busier over the past year, you’d be right — especially if you live in either Hong Kong or Taipei.
Sex-ed group deemed 'inappropriate' by Tory government returns to N.B. schools
A sexual-education group whose presentations were deemed "clearly inappropriate" by the previous New Brunswick Progressive Conservative government has been cleared to return to the province's schools.
Suspect in Gilgo Beach serial killings is charged in the death of a seventh woman
The New York architect facing murder charges in a string of deaths known as the Gilgo Beach killings was charged on Tuesday in the death of a seventh woman.