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The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit is encouraging residents to test their homes for a cancer-causing gas.
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In recognition of Radon Action Month in Canada, public health officials on Monday warned of the dangers of radon, an odorless, colorless and tasteless gas that can enter homes through cracks and drains in the foundation.
“Long-term exposure to radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking, making it a major health problem,” said Dr. Shanker Nesathurai, Acting Medical Health Officer.
A three-year health unit study of about 3,000 children tested for radon found that approximately 11 percent of homes in Windsor-Essex had radon levels above the acceptable limit of 200 becquerels. per cubic meter. Released in 2020, the findings of that study were consistent with a 2012 Health Canada report on radon concentrations in homes across Canada, which found that 13.8 percent of local homes had radon levels higher than the average. Canadian guidelines.
Reference-windsorstar.com