Comment 52931

By radonrisk (anonymous) | Posted December 10, 2010 at 08:25:35

Yes, homes with high levels or radon can be found anywhere, areas that are know to be 'radon rich' and those that are considered low level areas. That is the challenge with radon and that is why the only way to know is to test. Long term radon detectors are easily available in Canada - Home Depot, Home Hardware and Walmart sell them and a number of the Canadian Lung Associations also sell kits.

Ask anyone from the EPA about the radon map that they have published and they will tell you that it has been a detriment to effectively protecting US citizens from the risk of radon b/c unless they live in the 'red' zone they don't test ..

It is true that the risk from exposure to radon is significantly higher for smokers than non-smokers - the population risk of developing lung cancer has been estimated at 1 in 20 for non-smokers and 1 in 3 for smokers who are exposed to high levels of radon for a long period of time.

The choice is yours but here's how I look at it - the risk from long term exposure to high levels of radon is equivalent to the risk of accidental death from car accidents, drowning and fires. I wear my seat belt (despite the fact that the likelihood that I will get in a car accident is very small) and use lifejackets on my kids when boating (despite the fact that the likelihood that we will get in a an accident where they are needed is very low) . It cost me about $50 to test my home and now I know that I am not increasing my or my kids chances of getting lung cancer - easy.

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