A simple test in your home could prevent lung cancer.
The Northwestern Health Unit is encouraging home owners to test for Radon, which is a naturally occurring radio active gas that comes from the breakdown of uranium that is found in rocks and soil.
It usually enters buildings through cracks in the foundation floors, walls, gaps in pipes, open floor drains or any other areas of exposed soil.
Public Health Inspector Rick Pascoe says you can’t see it, smell it or taste it.
Pascoe says the health unit’s coverage area is the third highest in the province for attributable deaths due to radon, which can cause lung cancer.
Test kits are relatively inexpensive, and can be purchased at any hardware store or online.
Pascoe says Health Canada recommends testing for a minimum of three months during the winter, in the lowest-lived-in area of your home.
For more information, contact your local Northwestern Health Unit.