THUNDER BAY — A city man, worried about the serious health threat posed by radon gas, says he's glad he invested $50 in a test kit.
"I was actually surprised at how high our (radon level) was. I didn't expect that at all," says Ron Wychopen who lives in a semi-rural neighbourhood in the northwest corner of the city.
Wychopen had seen notices from EcoSuperior advising residents to get their homes checked.
Radon is an odourless, colourless radioactive gas caused by the breakdown of uranium in soil.
It can enter a house through pipes, drains and foundation cracks, accumulating to hazardous levels that can cause cancer.
The radon concentration in Wychopen's home was "above the maximum...high enough that I felt concerned," he said.
Although mitigation can be done by a homeowner, Wychopen hired a certified radon mitigation contractor to install a device in his basement floor that vents the radon gas outside, where it is dispersed harmlessly.
He said it cost about $1,700 to have the equipment hooked up to his sump pump pit.
"It's working fine. I still have this monitoring device in my home. It's working constantly, and the radon level is now almost down to nothing."
Wychopen said he and his wife have lived in their house for about three decades, and hope to reside there for a few more years.
"I thought it was a good investment for health concerns, basically," he said.
Hundreds of other Thunder Bay residents have tested their homes for radon.
EcoSuperior has sold nearly 2,000 test kits since 2014. The $50 charge includes the cost of laboratory fees to assess the results.
The proportion of homes with elevated radon in Thunder Bay is more than three times the Ontario average.
A study conducted for the Thunder Bay District Health Unit in 2015 found that 16 per cent of 468 homes tested for radon exceeded the Canadian guideline for radon indoor air quality.
High readings were considerably more prevalent in the city's McIntyre and Neebing wards.
In the neighbouring municipality of Oliver Paipoonge, a 2018 study found that 65 per cent of homes tested had elevated radon levels.
EcoSuperior will host a community information session about radon gas on December 3 from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm at the Waverley library.
It also plans an upcoming session in Oliver Paipoonge.
Wychopen, who recently won a $1,000 cash prize in a national draw organized by Take Action on Radon, advises people not to wait to get a test done, "especially if you're spending a lot of time using the lower levels of the home."
He added "It's worth the investment for the peace of mind."
According to data supplied by Take Action on Radon, across the country the average cost of a radon mitigation system is $2,900.
