ARCHIVED - Radon Testing - The Only Way to Know!

Transcript - Radon Testing - The Only Way to Know!

(Opening scene with Jeff Strickland, homeowner. Jeff walks into his kitchen and pours himself a cup of tea.)

(CUT TO close up of Jeff Strickland.)

Jeff Strickland - Shortly after we moved in here some of the neighbourhood told us about Radon; they didn't have issues themselves but we started looking into it and, you know, checking out Health Canada websites and quickly started to learn that Radon is an issue

(CUT TO full-screen view of the Health Canada web page "Radon: What you need to know". The mouse scrolls down the web page.)

(CUT TO full-screen graphic which displays "How radon enters a house".)

Narrator - Radon is a naturally occurring gas in the ground that can get into your home undetected. You can't see it, smell it or taste it. Kelley Bush is a radon expert for Health Canada and says we all need to be aware of radon's existence in our home.

(CUT TO Kelley Bush, Head, Radon Education and Awareness at Health Canada. Kelley is standing in front of the furnace in the basement of Jeff Strickland's home, addressing the camera.)

(CUT TO close-up of Kelley Bush.)

Kelley Bush - Health Canada - It's not a question of whether or not you have Radon in your home. You do. It's in this house, it's outside, it's everywhere. The question is: How much? And the higher the level, the higher the risk.

(CUT TO shot of drain in the cement floor of a basement.)

(CUT TO graphics depicting calendar view of the months of December, January and February.)

(CUT TO close up of Kelley Bush.)

Kelley Bush - Health Canada - What Health Canada recommends is that you test for a minimum of three months. The levels vary quite a bit over time, so you want an accurate representation of what you're breathing in, what you're being exposed to in your home over a long period of time.

(CUT TO Jeff Strickland sitting on the couch in his living room, in front of a gas fireplace Jeff picks up a magazine and begins reading.)

(CUT TO a blurred graphic of a radon tester sitting on top of a bookshelf. Bulleted text informing viewers of the ways to test radon in the home is overlaid on the graphic.)

Narrator - There are two simple ways of testing radon in your home. You can either test your home using a do-it-yourself test kit or hire a certified radon professional to do it for you. Radon test kits are available at many hardware stores and can be ordered online.

Jeff discovered high levels of radon in his home, a possible health risk for his family.

(CUT TO close-up of Kelley Bush standing and addressing the camera.)

Kelley Bush - Health Canada - and that is an increased risk of developing lung cancer. The risk from radon is long-term, it's not immediate. It's long term exposure; years and decades of exposure. The higher the level and the longer you're exposed to it, the higher the risk.

(CUT TO Jeff Strickland reading a magazine on his couch, in front of the fireplace.)

(CUT TO close-up of Jeff Strickland standing and addressing the camera.)

Jeff Strickland - We caught it within the first year we were here so, I'm comfortable with what we've done to make the house a safer place.

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)