Radon Environmental’s Alan Whitehead joined Tina Mak on AM1320 Radio to talk Radon.
This 5 part series "Saving Life Through Real Estate" covers a wide range of information everyone should know. Tina is a non-smoker, and stage 4 lung cancer patient, who is deeply passionate about learning and raising awareness about Radon Gas and its impact on your health.
Follow Part 1 and Part 2 here!
Learn more about Tina Mak here.
This is an excellent article from Mike Holmes highlighting what you should know about Radon gas and why we should take it seriously.
Author of the article:
Published Nov 07, 2023 • 3 minute read
November is typically lung-health month, often including discussions on radon gas. I’ve been talking about radon gas and its effects on homeowners’ health for many years, and we still need to keep the conversation going. So, I thought I’d review some highlights to help educate homeowners because many still don’t know about radon or even think about it.
Radon is a radioactive gas that’s naturally occurring. It’s formed when uranium in the ground breaks down and seeps into the soil. From there, it can make its way into your home through soil, pipes, windows, sump pumps, unfinished floors, crawl spaces, cracks in foundation walls, and floors.
Source From: Health Canada
November 1, 2023 | Ottawa, ON | Health Canada
“This November marks the 10th anniversary of Radon Action Month, a month dedicated to raising awareness of the health risks of radon and encouraging people in Canada to take action and test their home. Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that - through prolonged exposure at elevated levels - can take a serious toll on a person's health. In fact, radon is the number one cause of lung cancer in non-smokers and is responsible for the deaths of over 3,000 people in Canada per year.
The health risks of radon are serious but the solution to protecting yourself and your family is simple: you can easily test your home for radon. Test kits are available online, at select local retailers, and from certified radon professionals. In many homes across Canada, a radon mitigation system can be installed in less than a day, which can reduce radon levels by more than 90%.
This Radon Action Month, take action to protect your health and test your home for radon. Visit Health Canada's website for more information on radon gas and its health effects. You can also access more information and additional resources by visiting Take Action on Radon.”
The Honourable Mark Holland, P.C., M.P.
Christopher Aoun
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Mark Holland
Minister of Health
613-291-4176
Media Relations
Health Canada
613-957-2983
media@hc-sc.gc.ca
Read Full Article By Mike Vanden Bosch (Fraser Valley Today)
Every house contains some radon. Moreover, radon concentrations vary geographically and change at different times of the year.
Radon is present in every indoor environment, so it’s vital that homeowners must have their homes tested. Because long-term exposure to radon gas is harmful and can even lead to lung cancer.
Check out the Radon Potential Map of Canada Any home can have dangerous radon levels, regardless of geography.
Radon can seep into a home through soil, windows, cracks in foundation walls and floors, loose pipes fittings and support posts, floor drains and sump pumps, wall, floor joists, and even through your water facets! Concrete is porous, and radon is a gas. Therefore, that means it can penetrate through even the tiniest holes in a house.
There are three levels of radon reduction systems that builders can install into new construction.
Level 1 is a Rough-In for Active Soil Depressurization for Radon Reduction
Level 2- Full Passive Vertical Radon Stack
Level 3- Full Active Soil Depressurization
Level 1 is a Rough-In for Active Soil Depressurization for Radon Reduction. A radon-reduction system's entrance point for radon and other soil gasses is a pipe that extends into a soil gas collector (typically gravel) beneath the foundation floor. The pipe finally comes to an end and is covered just above the slab.
This system is merely a rough-in, and if radon mitigation is needed, a fan system can be added. In order to reduce radon ingress, a membrane has also been placed beneath the concrete slab and is sealed to the foundation wall. The majority of provinces and territories have followed this strategy, according to CARST.
Also, it is essential to caulk any foundation cracks and joints as well as the areas near the sump pit, floor drains, and other pipes.
Level 2 is an extension of Level 1, where the pipe from Level 1 is extended up through space vertically and out through a wall to terminate outdoors. Provisions must be taken to ensure the pipe is properly sealed to ensure re-entrainment of radon does not occur. The system relies on naturally occurring pressure differentials generated by the stack effect to mitigate radon. This level is now being used in the BC building code.
System Level 3 uses the pipe from Level 2 and also includes a low wattage radon fan. The system relies on the radon fan to induce a pressure difference to exhaust soil gasses and radon from under the slab. Radon fans run continuously, and a system pressure monitor is installed for the monitoring of the system. This method has been shown to be highly effective at reducing radon concentrations in a building.
Many different products are available that can be used in the installation process of a radon reduction system. Radon Guard and Radon Block are the best choices to prevent radon from the beginning.
Radon Guard® Insulation is a key component of any radon mitigation system. This code compliant replacement for code required 100mm layer of granular material under slab, is a 2 in 1 system that both insulates and protects interior spaces from radon gas for generations.
Radon Block® is the leading high performance radon blocking barrier membrane. It resists gas and moisture migration into the building envelope, providing superior protection from toxic and harmful chemicals. Evaluated as a code alternative solution CCMC 14024-R.
Contact us to discuss your radon mitigation options. With the proper radon mitigation system, radon levels can be reduced by more than 80% .
How Radon Block and Radon Guard work in an Active Soil Depressurization method
Radon is a radioactive gas created from the decay of uranium minerals present in rock, soil and water. You cannot see, taste or smell radon. Outdoors there is little danger as radon is diluted in the open air. Indoors, radon can be trapped and become concentrated in enclosed poorly ventilated spaces resulting in a significant increased health risk.
Radon is the leading environmental cause of lung cancer and the second-leading cause of lung cancer next to smoking. Radon-induced lung cancer is preventable, Health Canada’s take action guideline is 200bq/m3. If your home tests above this take action guideline, a mitigation system should be installed.
Check out the Radon Potential Map of Canada.
RADON MITIGATION is the process used to reduce radon gas concentrations in the home or in a building.
The radon test is a test to identify the level of radon in your home. A radon test can be done by a professional home inspector or by yourself using a radon test kit or the radon tester. Testing radon can be a DIY project. Besides, there is also radon testing equipment for inspectors.
A radon test identifies the radon level in your home so you can make an informed decision and take action if necessary. You can purchase a long-term radon detector and test yourself or hire a certified radon professional to test for you.
All homes have some amount of radon, the question is how much. Since you cannot see, taste or smell radon, scientific testing is needed for detection. Testing for radon is an important part of assessing your Indoor Air Quality and should be taken seriously to protect the health of everyone who enters your home. High levels of radon can lead to a significant risk of lung cancer.
Some radon stays in the water, drinking water containing radon also presents a risk of developing internal organ cancers, primarily stomach cancer. Radon is only a concern in your water if your drinking water comes from a well (groundwater). Water from wells can have high radon concentrations because radon is relatively insoluble in water.
Water use releases radon into the indoor air and contributes to the total indoor airborne radon concentrations. Radon can be off gassed in the shower, kitchen sink and through the laundry. Radon can be removed from our water using an aeration system, this can significantly reduce the level of radon in your water. The Airwell radon system lowers radon levels in well water up to 99%.
Solve the problem of radon in well water before water enters the home. Radon reductions up to 99%.
How does radon gas enter your home
1 . Soil
2. Windows
3. Cracks in walls & floors
4. Loose pipe fittings & support posts
5. Floor drains & sump pumps
6. Wall & floor joints
7. Ground water
Article by Jennifer Feinberg from The Abbotsford News - “A Chilliwack city councillor is sounding the alarm over concerns that homeowners may be unaware of the implications of having high levels of radon gas in their homes.
Communities to the east and west of Chilliwack, in Hope and Abbotsford, already require radon mitigation systems to be roughed in at the time of new construction, Coun. Chris Kloot pointed out.
But he wondered how many Chilliwack homeowners are in fact aware of the radon situation, as the whole topic was “evolving” with goalposts shifting.” Continue Reading Article
ARTICLE BY: JENNIFER FEINBERG
Alan Whitehead will be speaking with Dr. Anne-Marie Nicol about radon and its health effects next week in Chilliwack. Join us virtually March 29 or attend the drop-in live event March 30th at the Yarrow Library.
Excellent learning opportunity!
March 22, 2023, Radon Environmental Management Corp (REM) and SunRADON LLC are excited to announce a new strategic partnership, which will strengthen and expand their offering of high-performance Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and radon measurement solutions, to prevent radon exposure and save lives.
"We are delighted to have entered into a Distribution Agreement with SunRADON, to exclusively supply the lüft® in Canada. We feel a total IAQ solution which includes radon is unique and brings value to the consumer and our commercial clients. We believe this will promote greater awareness of radon in Canada and will result in greater radon monitoring Canada-wide” said Alan Whitehead, REM President & CEO.
David Innes, REM Director of Sales, added "lüft from SunRADON is an established product in the United States and REM is very excited to bring it to the Canadian market. lüft is an IAQ monitor with Wi-Fi connectivity that provides detailed reports and feedback on radon, tVOC, eCO2, temperature, humidity, and air pressure. lüft is designed for both consumer and commercial applications and is meant for long term, continuous monitoring of these metrics for on-going piece of mind, of total IAQ. Its sleek and direct plug-in design, complete with Wi-Fi connectivity, makes it a great solution for monitoring homes, schools and workplaces and comes with a specialized non-tamper cover for these applications. lüft also can interconnect with hundreds of units, to continuously monitor large buildings easily on one dashboard and create total building reports.”
“We are thrilled to be working with REM to improve IAQ awareness across Canada. Radon is a silent killer but is completely manageable if detected and mitigated. We developed the lüft technology using our professional device technology, which has been in use and trusted by thousands of professional radon and building inspectors for over 35 years. We are excited to bring this proven and trusted technology to millions of Canadians who live and work in areas where radon is present” said Dr. Kai Wundke, SunRADON LLC CEO.
Radon Environmental is a building and environmental health sciences company focused on reducing public exposure to radon gas. REM provides innovative high-performance radon detection and mitigation solutions to treat radon in air and water. The company consults on radon education, mapping, testing and mitigation planning, with government organizations and the building and construction sector across North America. A strength of the company is its emphasis on strategic development to build strong partner and customer relationships.
For more information, visit radoncorp.com
SunRADON provides market leading Radon Detection and Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) solutions. Its mission is to advance the innovation, accuracy, reliability and affordability of Radon and Indoor Air Quality Monitors, to aid in the avoidance of radon-induced lung cancer and the attainment of healthy indoor air quality. SunRADON developed the first professional radon monitor for building inspections in 1987, and through continuous technology and customer satisfaction leadership, is trusted by thousands of professional radon and home inspectors worldwide. Our professional solutions also include wireless data uploading, remote electronic radon laboratory services, and state regulatory compliant quality control and reporting software. Our line of consumer products includes lüft, which utilizes the same proven radon monitoring technology as our professional solutions, but for the consumer market. lüft features a unique plug-in design with Wi-Fi connectivity, to measure and report on radon and IAQ metrics including tVOC, eCO2, temperature, humidity, and air pressure.
For more information, visit sunradon.com
A new study lead by the U.S Geological Survey using public data to map the presence of radon and uranium in New Hampshire has concluded approximately half the areas groundwater likely has radon levels considered to be unsafe.
Full Article , Jeongyoon Han, nhpr.org
January 5, 2023 - Connect with us at IBS! Our team will be making a short stop in Vegas at the end of January for the NAHB International Builders' Show®. We will be showcasing the Airwell™ by Radon Environmental, with radon reductions up to 99%, this innovative technology mitigates radon in well water before it enters the home.
Stop by to meet our team and see the aeration system in action at booth SU1555!
January 3, 2023 - The Bark Side of Radon, presented by Radon Environmental (REM), is a Canadian public awareness campaign promoting home-owner radon testing through pet health. Medical conditions that veterinarians see in animals are like those doctors see in patients, but the diseases often develop earlier in animals.
"The Company is pleased to announce that it is joining forces with Citizens for Radioactive Radon Reduction (CR3), in the United States, to expand the campaign to protect all our loved ones, from exposure to cancer causing radon gas, across North America" said Alan Whitehead, President & CEO of REM.
"Your pets are at the lowest level near the ground. Because of their silence, we can be less aware of their suffering until it's too late." says, Jackie Nixon, Cancer Survivor. "We found that the general public truly cares about their pets and really want the best for them. Talking to them about how radon affects animals and how they can protect their pets, really gets their attention and increases their willingness to consider testing for radon."
The oncologist said, “radon is a known cause of lung cancer”. When my husband, Joe, was diagnosed with lung cancer. A radon test revealed we had been living with over 4 times the EPA action level of this demon for 18 years and didn’t know it. We, like millions of others, didn’t know that radon exposure could cause lung cancer; and we didn’t know this silent killer was living with us." says Gloria Linnertz, CR3 President.
About REM
Radon Environmental is a building and environmental health sciences company focused on reducing public exposure to radon gas. REM provides innovative high-performance radon detection and mitigation solutions to treat radon in air and water. The company consults on radon education, mapping, testing and mitigation planning, with government organizations and the building and construction sector across North America. A strength of the company is its emphasis on strategic development to build strong partner and customer relationships.
Contact Radon Environmental:
Emma Whitehead , Customer Relations & Communications Manager
Email: ewhitehead@radoncorp.com
About CR3
Citizens for Radioactive Radon Reduction (CR3) promotes radon reduction to communities through education and awareness. By helping them to understand the risks of not testing and the effects of long-term exposure, CR3 broadens radon knowledge and the willingness of community members to test their properties for radon gas.
Contact CR3:
Jacquelyn E. Nixon, Director of Marketing & Communications