Jennifer Carling stands outside her house in Elliot Lake, which was allegedly built on top of radioactive waste from nearby uranium mines.

Homeowners take feds to court over ‘radioactive’ waste

Three homeowners in Elliot Lake are taking the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) to Federal Court over its recent decision to not order the removal of alleged radioactive waste from their properties.

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Jennifer Carling stands outside her house in Elliot Lake, which was allegedly built on top of radioactive waste from nearby uranium mines.

Radiation is homeowners’ problem, Canadian nuclear regulator says

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) says homeowners are responsible for dealing with the toxic effects of waste rock from nearby uranium mines that was allegedly used as infill on their properties.

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Lisa Speck's house outside of Elliot Lake was allegedly built on top of radioactive mining tailings from a nearby uranium mine. The mining company paid to install fans and venting in the 1970s, which have now stopped working, sending radiation levels soaring to dangerous levels. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION/TANIA PEREIRA/SUBMITTED IMAGE

They thought they’d found an affordable place to live. They were never told about the radioactive mining waste

Recent testing at four houses in Elliot Lake reveal elevated levels of gamma radiation and concentrations of radon gas far exceeding safety guidelines. There could be up to 60 homes in the community currently on top of mine waste, documents allege.

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Elizabeth Girling and Kurt Fisher outside their Calgary home, which was found to have the highest radon levels of 30,000 homes tested across Canada. TODD KOROL / TORONTO STAR

The invisible threat inside your home: Dangerous levels of radon gas are being found in more houses across Canada than ever before

Canada has some of the highest measured residential radon rates in the world, with an estimated new case of radon-induced lung cancer diagnosed each day in the hardest-hit provinces. One in five homes — 5,600 of the 30,000 tested nationwide — showed radon levels exceeding Health Canada’s guideline of 200 becquerels per cubic metre (Bq/m³), according to data gathered by researchers from the University of Calgary collaborating with this investigation.

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No province in Canada requires that radon mitigation systems be installed in all new buildings. There are no provincially mandated requirements anywhere in the country to test for radon in houses. Graphic by Aidan Lising

Does your home have dangerous levels of radon?

Declan Keogh, the IJB's senior report, goes onto The Big Story podcast to discuss the findings of our investigation into deadly levels of radon gas found in Canadian homes.

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One-in-five homes tested nationwide have radon levels exceeding Health Canada’s guideline of 200 becquerels per cubic metre (Bq/m³). The scale of the problem has been captured in six years’ worth of test results from 30,000 homes across Canada, believed to be the largest and most detailed body of results collected in this country.