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N.S. landlord calling for mandatory radon testing in rental properties
A Halifax woman is calling for mandatory radon testing at rental properties in Nova Scotia.
Isabel Tees owns four rental properties in the Halifax Regional Municipality with a total of 16 units, including one that she lives in. When she found radon in two of her buildings, she contacted a remediation company and had the problem fixed.
But she is doubtful that most landlords are testing for radon — and she says that puts tenants at risk.
"It's dangerous," said Tees, who lives near the campus of Dalhousie University, where many students are renters.
"Kids are moving in. They're living in basements. They don't know. They could come back to the same apartment for three years in a row, four years in a row and could be affected by radon and they won't know until years later."
Radon is an invisible, odourless, naturally occurring gas that can seep from the ground into buildings and, over time, cause lung cancer in occupants. Radon levels tend to be higher in basements than upper floors.
It is estimated that radon causes more than 100 deaths per year in Nova Scotia. |Read more|