The City of Winnipeg is winding down its library program to lend free radon testing kits to patrons, but more than 2,600 people are still waiting to get the device — some after months.
“It’s frustrating,” said Brian Itscovich, a Winnipeg resident who ordered the kit.
“I had honestly forgotten I’d put the request in…. That’s how long it’s been. It is kind of sad.”
Exposure to radon is the leading cause of cancer in non-smokers, Health Canada says.
The radioactive gas comes from the breakdown of uranium in the ground and canenter homes through cracks in the walls or foundation.
Radon is invisible, odourless and tasteless but can be detected through screening.
Digital devices to test its levels in rooms became available to borrow, just like a book, at all Winnipeg public libraries in November. The number of screening kits didn’t keep up with the demand, and city residents such as Itscovich have had to wait.
The South River Heights father reserved a testing kit in November. At the time, he was given an estimated wait time of between three weeks and a month.
Six months later, Itscovich is still in the queue.
“I could be the next one up, or I could be hundreds of people down the line. I have absolutely no idea,” he said.
As of Tuesday, Itscovich was one of 2,611 library users still waiting to get one of the 188 kits that have been circulating since the fall, a spokesperson for the city says.
The radon screening devices are only available until the end of the month on Thursday. The city said any holds on radon kits will carry over to the next run of the program, which is expected for November.
Requests will be filled in the order they were received, the spokesperson said.
About 736 households have borrowed a kit so far, the city said. Scott Watson, who lives in the St. James neighbourhood, was close to being one of them, but he missed the hold period and went back onto the wait list months ago.
“It’s unfortunate. I’m looking now to potentially buying a unit off Amazon,” he said.
Watson said some of his neighbours have had extremely high levels of radon in their basements, and while his house isn’t as well-sealed, he worries about the gas.
“I have a couple of kids. They’ve grown up playing in the basement, and to kind of have this potential risk just kind of floating invisibly within the air — and you can’t, you know, see or smell it — is absolutely a concern,” he said.
Itscovich said he missed the ideal window for radon testing while waiting for the kit. If he had been told he wasn’t getting the device through the city, he would look for another way to get one.
“It’s a timely issue. Knowing might have given me the initial push to bite the bullet and put money out of my pocket.… Now, I can’t test properly until the next season.”
Adam Anderson of the Manitoba Lung Association said the difference between the cold temperatures and against warmer air inside a home creates an effect that pulls more radon indoors. That happens at a time of year when homes are sealed.
“That’s when you are going to see your highest exposure, and that’s why it is important to test in those months,” he said.
A 2024 public health survey found about 43 per cent of homes in Manitoba had radon levels that exceeded Health Canada’s safety guidelines. Anderson said households in the province are more susceptible, in part because Manitoba’s soil is more permeable.
“It’s great for farming. But it’s also great for gas to escape,” he said.
The lung association has partnered with libraries in rural Manitoba in recent years to make screening kits accessible. The organization broke ground in Winnipeg last fall, supplying the city with the devices for testing offered in its libraries.
“We didn’t expect it to be as popular as it was,” Anderson said. “We try to get more devices out to address those backlogs.”
“But it is kind of based on the funding we have year to year.”
He said the lung association’s board has approved spending on the radon program to get more detectors to rural and regional libraries.
No expansion planned in city
Coun. Vivian Santos, who chairs the city’s community services committee and has overseen the program’s rollout, said the long waitlist is a sign the awareness campaign on the risks of radon worked out.
“A couple months ago, [the lung association] brought in … more kits, tried to bring the waitlist down. And obviously, that still didn’t bring the waitlist down, and there was still a demand for it,” she said.
“It is really exciting knowing that Winnipeggers are being cognizant of what’s happening in their home.”
The city began offering 188 devices to screen for radon in November, but many library patrons have been waiting months to get one. With the borrowing program’s first round wrapping up at the end of April, the city says any remaining holds will carry over to the fall, when lending is expected to resume.
Moving forward, the city will look into the data from the program to be better prepared for the next rollout.
Santos reminded residents they can purchase radon kits for $65 through the lung association.
“You don’t have to wait for the City of Winnipeg. But ultimately, we’ll look at bringing the program back,” she said.
Watson would like to see more funding funnelled into the program so more screening kits are available.
“The burden on the health-care system potentially down the road might be significant, right? So, it seems like a relatively inexpensive way to prevent potential health issues,” he said.
Itscovich agrees. He said the free testing kit levels the playing fields for those who can’t financially justify buying the device for a single use.
“This isn’t a problem that’s going away necessarily. It’s a long-term issue.… So, it needs to be addressed properly and rolled out.”
The city told CBC News in a statement there are so far no plans to expand beyond 188 kits next fall.
