A new public awareness campaign about the dangers of radon gas in B.C. is ramping up in November.
The new website RadonKills.ca/BC is part of Radon Action Month in November, and it asks the in-home air-quality question: "Is your home safe? Home testing for radon is easy."
“For a lot of people, radon flies under the radar until it impacts them directly," said Trevor Koot, CEO of the B.C. Real Estate Association. "We want to make people throughout the province aware of the dangers of radon so they can head it off before it becomes an issue."
The campaign is being launched by the BC Real Estate Association (BCREA), with the BC Lung Foundation, and Real Estate Foundation of BC, according to the Nov. 4 release. The Radon Kills.ca site has clickable resources about radon, which is an odourless, colourless gas. There is info on how to test and how to remove or remediate when there are high levels of radon in a home.
The timing for Radon Action Month in November is not by accident.
"The timing is particularly important because radon levels are highest in homes during the heating season between October and April, when windows are most often closed tight,” said Christopher Lam, president and CEO of the BC Lung Foundation.
“Radon is a leading cause of lung cancer in Canada, but there is still so much work to be done to educate British Columbians on its dangerous impacts. Knowing about radon and testing radon levels in your home can save lives."
Realtors are on the front lines of those concerns.
“Not only can Realtors help buyers and sellers be more aware of radon concerns and obligations in housing transactions, but they’re key conduits of information in their communities,” added Koot. “The more Realtors and the public know about radon, the better for the province.”
One Chilliwack resident who is impacted directly is Realtor Jill Hall, a non-smoker whose lung cancer was determined to have been radon-related. Hall has been actively sounding the alarm from Chilliwack since her diagnosis.
In particular she's been urging real estate industry leaders to take on the mantle of responsibility for helping to raise radon awareness, as well as public health.
Did she have a helping hand in the Radon Kills campaign?
"Yes, I have been pushing the BC Real Estate Association and they have taken on the radon awareness campaign full bore," Hall said, adding that Chilliwack has Radon Kills billboards erected on Luckakuck Way and on Vedder Road near Promontory.
Hall got more involved in advocacy after family and friends’ homes in the community were found to have higher-than-acceptable levels of radon, including her brother who found elevated levels in his Chilliwack home.
