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Students awarded for radon gas awareness drawings

Radon Gas Poster Contest sees Horse Lake Elementary School participation
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Horse Lake Elementary School students Kade Livingston

Horse Lake Elementary School students entered a nation-wide contest, and one won second prize.

The Radon Gas Poster Contest, launched by Interior Health and the BC Lung Association, was to educate students and the public about the dangers of radon gas.

Kade Livingston was awarded a $300 cheque for second prize, while Kyle Wallace, Jake Morton and Gavin McLean received honourable mentions, and received $50 cheques.

Livingston, a Grade 6 student, did really well, explains teacher Julie Schuurman.

“He was one of the students who wanted to look up what a radioactive symbol was and put it on his poster. He thought critically about it.”

Radon, a radioactive, odourless and colourless gas naturally occurring in the ground, is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking, states Interior Health.

While some radon gas can be found in most homes that are in contact with the ground, radon becomes more of a concern when it reaches high levels.

About seven per cent of Canadian homes have radon levels that may be putting residents at risk, according to Health Canada. However, the geology in the BC Interior favours radon, with high radon levels in approximately 40 per cent of homes, according to Interior Health.

“Most of the kids hadn't heard about it,” says Schuurman. “We talked about it a lot in class and they were surprised it's something you can be breathing in and not even realize it.”