Back to SearchKingston, ON – Homeowners in the Kingston, Frontenac, and Lennox & Addington area are encouraged to test their homes for radon. Starting November 1, KFL&A Public Health will be selling certified radon tests for $20. Anyone interested can purchase a radon test at any of our office locations in Kingston, Napanee, Sharbot Lake or Cloyne. Homeowners may return the test three months later to KFL&A Public Health to have it sent to the laboratory for analysis. The laboratory will send all homeowners a report outlining their home’s radon level.
Last year, KFL&A Public Health conducted a Radon Testing Study where 1,047 participants tested their homes for radon. The results concluded that 52% of homes tested in the KFL&A region were above the World Health Organization’s radon guideline of 100 Bq/m3 and 21% were above Health Canada’s radon guideline of 200 Bq/m3.
“The only way to know the radon level in your home is to test for it” said Erin Hayes, Public Health Promoter at KFL&A Public Health. “We want to encourage everyone to test.”
Radon is a naturally occurring, radioactive gas that comes from the breakdown of uranium in rocks and soils. You can’t see, taste or smell radon. It can enter buildings through cracks in foundation floors and walls, gaps in pipes, open floor drains, or any other area of exposed soil. In confined spaces like a home, radon can build up to high levels becoming a health risk. The likelihood of high radon cannot be predicted by the age or location of a home; all homes are at risk.
Breathing in high levels of radon for many years can lead to lung cancer. In Canada, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after tobacco smoke. To learn more about radon, including potential health risks and how to lower radon levels in your home, visit kflaph.ca/radon.
Radon tests can be picked up at all KFL&A Public Health offices during regular business hours 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or during the following extended hours at the Kingston and Napanee office locations.
Kingston
221 Portsmouth Avenue
Saturday, November 2 and 16 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Tuesday, November 5, 12, 19, and 26 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Napanee
99 Advance Avenue
Thursday, November 14 and 28 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
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