Okanagan residents are being warned about a potentially deadly gas that makes its way from the ground into homes.
Radon is a naturally occurring gas that is formed in uranium-rich soil.
“It’s outside right now but at very low concentrations because it gets diluted,” says Greg Baytalan, a specialist environmental health officer with the Interior Health Authority.
But when the radioactive gas seeps into houses, it can have deadly consequences.
“It is odourless, tasteless, you can’t smell it. It is dubbed the silent killer,” says Baytalan.
The gas is blamed by Health Canada for about 3,000 cancer cases every year.
“Next to cigarette smoking, it is leading cause of lung cancer,” says Baytalan.
The Interior Health Authority is using National Radon Awareness Month to help spread the message and encourage Okanagan residents to have their homes tested.
“In the Okanagan the Health Canada survey shows that 17.4 per cent of houses that were tested were above the guidelines. The B.C. average basically is 6.9 per cent so the Interior is more prone to radon,” says Baytalan.
If a home has high levels of radon, residents can have a pipe ventilation system installed to get rid of the potentially deadly build-up of gas.
It’s a fix that may cost anywhere from $500 to $3,000.
One way to order a radon test detector is from the B.C. Lung Association.
It retails for about $30.
The best time to test a home for radon levels is during the winter months when windows are kept closed.
It takes three months to test, so homeowners are encouraged to get started sooner rather than later.
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