ARCHIVED - Reducing Radon in Your Home
Transcript - Reducing Radon in Your Home
(Opening scene is close-up of Kelley Bush, Head, Radon Education and Awareness, Health Canada.)
Kelley Bush - Health Canada - Radon is a radioactive gas that comes from the ground. It comes from the breakdown of uranium in the ground. When it comes out of the ground outside it gets diluted and it's not a health concern. But if it finds a way into an enclosed space, like a home then it can accumulate to high levels and it becomes a health risk.
(CUT TO full-screen graphic of "How radon enters a house")
(CUT TO close-up of Jeff Strickland, homeowner, standing in his home addressing the camera.)
Jeff Strickland - Home Owner - When we moved here to Ottawa, we moved from West of Toronto, where we had other air quality issues. We knew nothing about radon.
(CUT TO shot of Jeff Strickland in his kitchen, pouring water from a kettle into a mug of tea.)
Narrator - Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. And in an effort to protect his family from this potential risk, Jeff hired a pro.
(CUT TO close-up of certified radon mitigation specialist standing in Jeff Strickland's basement. The furnace is visible in the background.)
(CUT TO shot of furnace in the basement.)
Rob Mahoney - Radon Works - Radon is relatively lazy gas, so if you apply a little bit of suction to it, you can draw it.
(CUT TO close-up shot of radon reduction system.)
(CUT TO blurred shot of crack in the basement floor.)
(CUT TO blurred shot of home ventilation system.)
Narrator - There are several ways to reduce the levels of radon in your home: by installing a radon reduction system, sealing cracks around foundation walls, floors pipes and drains or increasing ventilation. In 2010 new national building codes were added for the protection against radon entry and if you're building a new home you should ensure that builders are following these codes.
(CUT TO Jeff Strickland sitting on his couch in front of a gas fireplace and picking up a magazine to read.)
A reduction system lowered Jeff's levels of radon significantly, in turn providing peace of mind.
(CUT TO close-up of Jeff Strickland standing in his home addressing the camera.)
Jeff Strickland - Reducing the chance of lung cancer and possible consequences to principally my children is what we were concerned with at first. So knowing that the house is a safer place for them makes us feel more comfortable as parents.
Narrator - To find out more information about radon visit healthcanada.gc.ca/radon.
Text on screen:
healthcanada.gc.ca/radon
A message from Health Canada and the Government of Canada.
(Canada Wordmark)