Clarke’s Beach has high radon levels, says mayor

Olivia Bradbury / Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Count Clarke’s Beach among the growing number of towns that are discovering radon at high levels in some areas.
According to Mayor Danielle Bussey, the town’s radon levels have “skyrocketed.”
According to Bussey, Clarke’s Beach’s levels of the odourless gas are 15 times the Canadian limit. She said it’s due to some of the minerals in the ground upon which the town is built.
Bussey added radon is typically found in basements that are not vented properly. It increases the risk of lung cancer for non-smokers, and even more so for those who do smoke.
Bussey recalled someone who built a house in Clarke’s Beach around 2020 and recently had to pay $5,000 to remove the radon in the basement.
“Her radon levels should have been under 10 and they were 26,000,” said the mayor.
Bussey said that Transfer Radon, a St. John’s company focusing on radon mitigation, has been silently helping the Town take action behind the scenes. On behalf of the Town, Transfer Radon has applied to the Canadian Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists to get one hundred radon testing kits that residents can use to test the levels in their homes.
Transfer Radon also provided a website the Town can share with residents who may want to get a radon detector. Bussey said a detector costs about $100 and gives results anywhere between seven to 30 days.
“They can come out free of charge from St. John’s, give an estimate of what needs to be done, if anything. Sometimes it’s just a simple venting, especially if your basement is unfinished,” said Bussey.
The mayor clarified that the high levels do not mean every home in Clarke’s Beach has an excessive level of radon. “You might have it, your neighbour mightn’t,” she said.