It may be a naturally occurring gas, but up to 2000 lung cancer deaths are related to radon each year according to the Canadian Cancer Society website.
“Radon is a naturally occurring uranium-based material. It degrades, it starts as uranium, and it basically starts to decay and becomes a radon gas. And when it does that, it creates a problem for lung cancer. It emits a little bit of energy, and next to smoking, it’s the number two cause of cancer,” said Frank Bertrand.
Bertrand has begun to offer the service of eliminating radon gas from people’s homes. As a former nuclear process technologist with Atomic Energy of Canada, he is uniquely qualified to perform this service.
“There’s a process of eliminating, or reducing it, by taking the gas that’s in the basement, or under the basement, and sucking it through and out so it doesn’t collect,” he said. The gas is heavy, and it tends to collect in basements. And then the gas gets caught up in the furnace and circulates throughout the house..
“It’s not just an issue of venting gas, it’s a balancing act between what you have burning, what combustibles you have in your house, with exhausting air. But at the same time having air come in to replace the stuff that you’re pushing out.”
Golden is in a high risk area for Radon, and as testing has increased in Canada, people are finding that one in 20 homes have a problem.
“You have to check to see if you have a problem, and there are metering systems now that are pretty cheap,” said Bertrand.
“Everybody has got to check. And if you know your neighbour has a problem, then you should really check. But you can have it and the next guy won’t.”
Bertrand has been living in Golden off and on for the past 25 years, working as a computer technician with his own business Golden Wireless since he decided to change careers away from nuclear science.
“I’ve been having more people come and ask me about this (eliminating Radon from homes). I’m seeing there’s an interest, so I’m going to put it out there and see if I can help a few people with it,” he said.
Depending on the kind of house a customer has, Bertrand has several techniques for eliminating, or at least reducing the Radon build up in the home. And one service usually does the trick.
“It’s kind of a specialty thing, so there’s no one else in Golden right now that does it,” said Bertrand.
To inquire about the services, Bertrand can be contacted at 344-1713, or at frank@radon86solutions.ca.
For more information you can visit www.radon86solutions.ca.
