Radon and thermal leak detector kits are the newest tools in Fraser Valley Regional Library’s Playground lending collection.
The two kit types, both of which are free to borrow with an FVRL card, enable users to easily and quickly test their homes for radon exposure levels or areas where they may be losing heat.
Radon is an odourless, tasteless, naturally-occurring radioactive gas found in every building in Canada that comes from the breakdown of uranium in the ground (rock, soil, water).
Exposure to higher concentrations can cause significant health issues, with radon the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking, according to the Government of Canada.
With the thermal leak detectors, customers can discover areas in their homes that may need better insulation, information they can use to help reduce their household carbon emissions and lower their energy bills.
“The vibrant health of our communities and community members is important, and so is the health of the planet we share,” Heather Scoular, director of customer experience at FVRL, said in a press release. “The world is changing and we are excited to offer new tools to help our customers adapt.”
Card holders can put a kit on hold at fvrl.bc.ca.
FVRL is also hosting a pair of free “What is Radon” seminars — online Wednesday (March 29) and in-person at the Yarrow Library Thursday (March 30) — to help customers understand the health effects of radon, how one is exposed to the gas, how to test ones home, and how to find a solution to harmful radon concentrations.
The seminars will feature Dr. Anne-Marie Nicol, an associate professor at Simon Fraser University’s Faculty of Health Sciences whose areas of research include finding policy and practice strategies to reduce community exposure to environmental carcinogens such as radon gas; and Alan Whitehead, who has served as president and CEO of Radon Environmental Management Corporation (a building and environmental health sciences company focused on preventing public exposure to radon gas) since 2007.
For more info and to register, visit fvrl.bc.ca.
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