Whereas radon exposure is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking amongst Canadians and many British Columbians are exposed to unsafe levels of radon within their own homes every day; And whereas professionally-installed radon mitigation systems are effective at reducing radon exposure levels in homes but are financially prohibitive for many British Columbians to pursue: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM urge the Province of British Columbia to establish a funding program to help residents with the costs of installing radon mitigation measures in their homes to increase the health and safety of British Columbians from the harmful effects of radon.
Ministry of Health The Ministry of Health has been actively working on various initiatives with key partners to address radon exposure. In 201112, the ministry provided 1 million to the BC Lung Association to develop RadonAware an ongoing initiative for radon awareness, training, testing, and mitigation. In March 2015, the ministry provided an additional 250,000 to BC Lung Association to continue to raise awareness of radon related health effects and build more capacity in BC for trained professionals of radon mitigation. Short-term test kits are available for lend at some public libraries in BC through the Radon Detector Library Lending Program supported by Health Canada and other partners. The BC Centre for Disease Control BCCDC developed an interactive map in 2021 to display indoor radon levels recorded in buildings across BC. It includes approximately 40,000 measurements across the province with 18 partners contributing data. The Building Code 2024 includes updates to British Columbias requirements for homes to be built with a rough-in for a subfloor depressurization system; an effective method for protecting houses from elevated indoor levels of radon. The ministry remains committed to working with other provincial ministries and partners to support residents to protect against radon exposure and take actions to mitigate exposure in their homes. The Interior Health Authority is working to test all schools for indoor radon levels as the mapping by BCCDC has shown highest levels in this health authority. Health Canada recommends radon mitigation based on the levels of radon measured within the building. According to its guidance, mitigation is required when radon levels exceed 200 Bqm3.