Lung cancer survivors speak out about testing home for radon

Lung Saskatchewan is recommending you test and make sure your home is safe from radon.

November is Radon Action Month across Canada.

Radon is an odorless, tasteless and invisible radioactive gas that can seep into your home.

All homes in Canada have some level of radon, but many don’t know how much.

In Saskatchewan, our homes have some of the highest levels of radon in the country and the high level of exposure can lead to lung cancer.

Kerri Mossing is one of those people who was diagnosed with lung cancer after being exposed to high levels of radon.

The mother of three who doesn’t smoke said she couldn’t believe it when she found out.

“I was sick with pneumonia and had a test X-ray and a series of follow-up tests that eventually led to the diagnosis of lung cancer,” she said. “I never smoked, I never worked in an environment that would expose me to anything that would cause lung cancer.”

After the diagnosis, Mossing tested the radon levels in her home and learned it was 130 Bq/m3 (Becquerel per cubic metre). This led to her mitigating her home which can cost on average $2,700.

Health Canada recommends that you mitigate your home for radon if your levels are over 200 Bq/m3.

According to Health Canada, over 10 million homes have radon levels in that 200 Bq/m3 ballpark.

Mossing was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2019 and had to endure four rounds of chemotherapy at a cancer clinic in Saskatoon. She became cancer free in February of 2020.

Read more:

• Sask. Housing Corp. partners with Lung Saskatchewan to test radon levels
• Radon presents serious risk for Saskatchewan citizens

Luana Hiebert is 64-years-old and is still dealing with the effects of lung cancer after being diagnosed with it from high levels of radon. When she spoke on Wednesday, she had to carry around an oxygen tank.

She explained what it’s been like living with lung cancer since she was diagnosed.

“It’s challenging,” she said. “People need to know and it’s so easy to avoid lung cancer. It’s important.”

Hiebert said she learned of the diagnosis while hiking up a mountain in Peru.

“I was at elevation and I kept thinking I wasn’t feeling well and I thought I’d feel better if I came down from elevation,” Hiebert said. “When I came down I didn’t feel better and when I came home I went to the doctor and got an X-ray. It was Stage 4 (lung cancer) by then.”

According to Hebert, the radon levels in her home were over 500 Bq/m3 – which is more than double the level Health Canada recommends you get your home mitigated at.

She’s recommending everybody buys a test to check the levels inside their homes and if the levels are high, that you get your home mitigated.

“It’s very easy,” she said. “I had it done in less than a week. It was inexpensive and it was an easy fix.”

Todd Despins owns Vent Pro Mechanical in Saskatoon – a company that specializes in mitigating homes that have been impacted by radon.

According to Despins, a lot of newer homes are actually more vulnerable to higher levels of radon.

“Older homes have leaky windows and leaky doors,” he said. “As you walk past those windows you feel that draft coming in and that draft is actually an air change happening. Now a days our houses are built air tight and new windows and new doors are actually making our homes have elevated radon levels.”

When it comes to reducing the levels of radon in your home, Despins said there are a couple things his company can do.

“Soil gases are getting in because of the pressure and balance between under your home to in your basement,” Despins explained. “Air always moves from areas of high pressure to low pressure. Because of that we install sub slab depressurization systems to put suction onto the soil underneath the home to depressurize the sub slab so that soil gases can’t go into the house anymore.”

When it comes to testing your home, you can buy test kits for $65.