Canada’s new Greener Homes Grant Program: A missed opportunity to address preventable radon exposure

Despite many benefits, Canada’s new Greener Homes Grant Program misses a critical opportunity to address the preventable lung cancer risk from the well-established fact that tightening a building envelope during energy retrofits can increase radon indoors. Radon-related lung cancer is the leading cause of lung cancer after smoking.

Multiple environment- and health-focused organizations and radon experts have submitted this open letter to Natural Resources Minister Seamus O’Regan pointing out this gap and recommending that the Canada Greener Homes Grant ensure that:

• The Grant program and its funded energy advisors and retrofitters make clear to the public the need to twin energy efficiency retrofitting with attention to radon.
• After any energy retrofit, there is a test for radon.
• Any grants and subsidies for home energy efficiency also cover radon mitigation

Download letter here: Open-Ltr-Re-Greener-Homes-Program-Missed-Opportunity-Prevent-Radon-Lung-Cancer-Risk