New research finds Canadians living in Saskatchewan are the second highest radon-exposed population on Earth. Fifty per cent of homes in Regina exceed the maximum radon exposure limit. Researchers urge Saskatchewan residents to test their homes to help find solutions we all need to ‘evict’ radon from the province.

REGINA, Saskatchewan, Feb. 11, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Saskatchewan and other Prairie researchers are launching a province-wide campaign to encourage all residents to have their home tested for radon gas, for their own safety, to help map household radon throughout the province and understand what type of homes are most at risk. Radon is a known carcinogen, and according to the Canadian Cancer Society, is the second most frequent cause of lung cancer, after tobacco smoke.

“We are launching the Evict Radon research campaign to help educate people about the effects of radon gas and encourage as many Saskatchewan residents as possible to test their homes through our research ethics board-approved national study,” says Dr. Justin Simms, a University of Saskatchewan researcher with Evict Radon, a national alliance of university scientists dedicated to engineering out Canada’s radon problem.

A recent publication by Evict Radon researchers has determined radon levels across the Canadian Prairies are second highest in the world, with 1 in 6 homes in Alberta and 1 in 3 homes in Saskatchewan containing dangerous amounts of the cancer-causing gas. Using data from 11,727 Alberta and Saskatchewan homes, the teams lead by Prairie scientists Aaron Goodarzi, David Torr and Brandy Winquist were able to determine residential radon risk levels across the region. The team found homes with high radon in every community they examined, with greatest risk reported in Regina, where 1 in 2 homes exceeded Health Canada guidelines. The study was published December 2019 in Scientific Reports.

“Radon is a significant issue in Saskatchewan, and while there is an effective patch if you have a problem now, more research is needed to understand why we have this issue in the first place, so we can fix it,” says Dr. Aaron Goodarzi, Canada Research Chair for Radiation Exposure Disease and lead researcher of Evict Radon. “It is only once we understand how radon is getting into our homes in the first place, will we be able to remedy the problem.”

The team of scientists who lead the Evict Radon study are asking for as many concerned residents of Saskatchewan as possible to sign-up to this research project, test their homes and provide the team a small set of details about their properties. Participants purchase non-profit radon kits containing ISO-certified test devices, which are quality-controlled by the team to ensure each person gets the most precise and accurate radon reading that is achievable. Researchers get the aggregated and anonymous radon data, which they use for cancer prevention research to help all Canadians.

Dr. Aaron Goodarzi will be hosting two free public lectures in Saskatchewan. February 18 at the University of Regina and February 19 at the Frances Morrison Central Library in Saskatoon. Both events are from 6:30 – 9pm. Space is limited so attendees are encouraged to register at www.evictradon.org/events.

Learn more about the Evict Radon campaign and sign-up for your radon kit at www.evictradon.org. The non-profit radon kits used in the national study cost approximately $52, as this is a citizen science-based research project. For those not wishing to join the study, but who still want to radon test their home, Evict Radon strongly recommends contacting the Saskatchewan Lung Association or Saskatchewan Health Authority.

Media Contact
Weston Jacques
Evict Radon
403-836-2635
weston@evictradon.org

About Evict Radon

Evict Radon represents a national, publically-funded research study and Canadian non-profit organization dedicated to solving Canada’s substantial and worsening radon-gas exposure problem through interdisciplinary research for the benefit of all Canadians. Led by Dr. Aaron Goodarzi of the University of Calgary, the federally appointed Canada Research Chair for Radiation Exposure Disease, the Evict Radon network of scientists are working towards educating Canadians about the harmful effects of radon gas, and gaining the knowledge needed to ‘evict’ radon from our homes..

By testing your home with one of our Evict Radon test kits, you’re automatically enrolled in our research study. Each participant is helping University researchers across Canada understand radon exposure and develop new ways to protect ourselves and loved ones.

Evict Radon embraces research strategies across disciplines to gain information necessary to:

• Learn how to engineer out radon from our buildings before they are even built
• Identify who are the most at risk from radon in society, to better support them and prevent cancer.
• Make meaningful change to radon prevention policy across sectors.

Achieving this is very possible and, if successful, will transform the ability to prevent lung cancers caused by radon.

For more information, visit www.evictradon.org

Dr. Aaron Goodarzi
Dr. Goodarzi is the Canada Research Chair for Radiation Exposure Disease. He obtained his PhD from University of Calgary in 2005 and trained as a post-doctoral scholar at the Genome Damage and Stability Centre at the University of Sussex (UK) until 2010. In 2011, he opened his own laboratory at the University of Calgary’s School of Medicine. Dr. Goodarzi is the Chair of the Board and research lead of Evict Radon, a Canadian non-profit organization whose goal is to solve Canada’s substantial and worsening radon-gas exposure problem through interdisciplinary research for the benefit of all Canadians.

Dr. Justin Simms
Dr. Simms has an MSc in Cancer Biology and a BSc degree in Cellular Molecular and Microbial Biology and with a minor in Psychology. He currently completing his residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan, practicing in Regina with the Saskatchewan Health Authority. Justin is one of the lead scientists of the Evict Radon Psychosocial Behavior Study and the Evict Radon Saskatchewan Radon Study.

Dr. Brandy Winquist
Dr. Winquist completed her doctorate in Community and Population Health Sciences at the University of Saskatchewan, and now holds an adjunct faculty position within the College of Medicine. She has extensive experience in leading research in the areas of maternal and child health, health services and population health. Much of her career has been dedicated to informing, evaluating and improving health service delivery in Saskatchewan. She currently serves as Chairperson for the Ethics Committee in Swift Current and for the Saskatchewan Epidemiology Association.

Dr. David Torr
Dr. Torr is a physician with just over three decades of experience in the medical field. He has studied in a number of universities, including Saskatchewan, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, London, Makerere and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical medicine. David is an associate Clinical Professor, Department of Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan.