The gas is radioactive, and is responsible for 847 lung cancer deaths in Ontario each year, about 14 per cent of all fatalities related to the disease.
Radon is formed when uranium in the ground breaks down. It can enter people's homes through cracks and openings in the foundation, and is typically present in higher quantities at lower levels because it is heavier than the surrounding air.
“It's everywhere,” said Steven Mahoney, the president and CEO of the Radiation Safety Institute of Canada. “Wherever there's rock and dirt you're going to find radon gas in certain levels.”
The institute was formed in 1980 as a direct response to the deaths of more than 200 miners in Elliott Lake who suffered from excessive exposure to radiation.
Thanks to a grant from the Ministry of Labour's new Occupational Health and Safety Prevention and Innovation Program, the institute plans to address the issue of radon in mines.
While organizations like Workplace Safety North have measured radon levels in mines in the past, and found ventilation systems adequately dispersed the radon, Mahoney said to his knowledge no thorough testing has been done.
“There's no question in our mind that there's radon there,” Mahoney said. “Is it properly ventilated?”
In an email to NorthernLife.ca Vale spokesperson Angie Robson said the company routinely conducts air sampling to measure radon levels underground.
“As part of this program, we have not experienced any detectable levels of radon,” Robson said.
Health Canada says a radon concentration exceeding 200 becquerels per cubic metre should be of concern. A becquerel measures the amount of radioactive activity in a location.
Health Canada has calculated about five per cent of Sudbury homes exceed radon measurements of 200 becquerels per cubic metre. About one per cent of homes exceed the very high level of 600 becquerels per cubic metre.
But Mahoney said radon levels can be managed with proper ventilation.
Radiation Safety Institute of Canada course, which he said should be ready in four to six months, will inform mine managers how they can reduce radon levels, and will educate workers about their rights to refuse unsafe work, if necessary, and personal safety equipment – such as masks – they can use to reduce their exposure to radon.
