Radon detector library program

At Airthings, working with our community has always been a priority. One of our main goals is to raise awareness of radon, the number one cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. The Nova Scotia Lung Association and the British Columbia Lung Association work tirelessly to help fight lung disease in their communities and raising awareness of radon is a big part of that. That is why we were thrilled to partner with them to start a radon detector lending program, where locals with a library card can borrow a Corentium Home radon detector by Airthings. The Nova Scotia Lung Association and the British Columbia Lung Association received generous funding from Health Canada, as well as donated and discounted devices from Airthings to make this program possible. The British Columbia Lung Association also worked with Simon Fraser University.

Thanks to them, there are hundreds of detectors available to borrow in the following libraries:

• North Vancouver District Public Library
• North Vancouver City Library
• Bowen Island Public Library
• Gibsons & District Public Library
• Sechelt Library
• Powell River Public Library
• Pemberton & District Public Library
• Squamish Public Library
• Whistler Public Library
• West Vancouver Memorial Library

We are pleased to see the growing number of participating libraries, as well as the results from current libraries. Nova Scotia libraries, in particular, have seen some great results.

Nova Scotia Results:

At present, 519 homes in Halifax alone have tested the radon levels thanks to this program. That is 519 homes in Halifax that now know their radon levels.

Even more encouragingly, as of November 2018, 592 people are on the waiting list for the radon detectors. These numbers only reflect Halifax, there are still 80 additional libraries around the province that also have detectors available for library cardholders.

Robert MacDonald, President and CEO of the Lung Association of Nova Scotia explained his excitement over the success of the program.

“We are so pleased with the success of the Radon Detector Library Loan Program, which we launched last November in public libraries across Nova Scotia. More Nova Scotians are becoming aware about the dangers of radon gas and realizing they need to test their homes for this dangerous gas, which is what we were hoping to accomplish with this program.”

-Robert MacDonald, President and CEO of the Lung Association of Nova Scotia

How can I get a detector?

1. Visit a participating library.
2. Check-out the device for free through your regular, active library membership.
3. Set up the device as per the included instructions.
4. Each device can be borrowed for a maximum of 28 days, which we recommend in order to give a good indication of radon levels.
5. Leave the device to detect, results will show on the digital screen. So many factors influence indoor air quality, so the longer you leave the device, the more accurate the results.
6. Read the onscreen results on the Corentium Home by Airthings device.
7. Make sure your levels are safe—the Airthings blog provides information on recommended levels.
8. Reset the device.
9. Return the detector to the library within the loan period.

Expanding the program

We are always open to working with more communities to help educate on the prevalence of radon. If our program isn’t available in your local library, ask your local library representative to get into contact with us!

Thank you

A big thank you from us at Airthings to The Nova Scotia Lung Association and British Columbia Lung Association for orchestrating this program, Health Canada for donating funds and the many libraries who took the time to participate and implement it.  Together we can make radon detectors as accessible as smoke detectors, thus reducing the risk of radon-related health problems.