Reduce the risk of the #1 cause of lung cancer in non-smokers.
Testing your child care centre for radon is easy.
- Purchase a long-term radon test kit, install it on the lowest occupied level of your program (where occupants spend a minimum of 4 hours per day) during the fall and winter months, and leave it in place for a minimum of three months. Or, hire a certified radon professional to help you test. Tell client families you are testing.
- At the end of three months, send the radon test kit to the laboratory address included with the kit. The laboratory will analyze the kit and send report back to you with your radon levels.
- Let client families know if your radon levels are below the guideline or above the guideline. If your levels are above the guideline, a radon professional can offer options for what to do next.
Note that radon levels in a building fluctuate over time, so it is important to measure levels over an extended period of time to get an accurate result. A three-month test should be used to determine if a building’s radon concentration exceeds the Canadian guideline level of 200 Bq/m3.
Resources
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March 2018Government Policy, Policy Paper
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March 2017Fact Sheet
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March 2015Letter
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March 2015Mini-poster
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March 2015Letter
Health Canada Publications
- Radon: Is it in Your Home? A guide to protecting your family from radon in your home.
- Radon: Is it in Your Home? Information for Health Professionals. A guide to help health professionals answer their patients questions about radon.
- Radon – Another Reason to Quit. A factsheet about the increased risk for smokers who are also exposed to radon gas and actions that can be taken to reduce the risk.
- Guide for Radon Measurements in Public Buildings (Schools, Hospitals, Care Facilities, Detention Centres)
- Reducing Radon Levels in Existing Homes: A Canadian Guide for Professional Contractors. A guide to provide professional building contractors with information on radon mitigation techniques.
CPCHE News
Healthy Schools Day is April 3, 2018. This Healthy Schools Day, let’s protect children and staff from a known cancer risk. Let’s rule out radon.
CPCHE’s Executive Director, Erica Phipps, was invited to appear before the federal Standing Committee on Health on Thursday, October 18, 2015, during the committee’s deliberations on lung cancer. Erica’s speaking notes, which feature CPCHE’s radon work in the child care sector, are available below.