Title

Communication program to increase radon awareness in First Nations communities In Alberta

Fiscal Year

2020-2021

Community/Region

Swan River First Nation and other First Nations communities, Alberta

Principal Investigator

Claire McAuley (Intrinsik Corp)

Community Project Lead

Darryel Sowan

Project Members

Renata Rosol

Project Summary

First Nations have a higher risk of exposure to radon due to poor housing conditions and, with the increased prevalence of smokers in the population, an increased risk of health effects from radon. The objective of this project was to develop a risk communication program to increase awareness in First Nations communities in Alberta about the health effects of long-term radon exposure, and the increased health risk radon poses for smokers. The  project team planned to educate community members about methods for radon detection and mitigation, and about sources of funding available for training and remediation activities.

The team had planned to hold in-person presentations with First Nations leadership and distribute radon factsheets to all First Nations in Alberta. Due to COVID-19 pandemic regulations, the team redesigned the program and delivered it virtually. The team created a digital informational brochure and gave a webinar presentation to the three Treaty Councils, the Treaty 8 Youth Council, and the Alberta Branch of the Assembly of First Nations. The team distributed printed copies of the final brochure to each First Nation and Treaty Council in Alberta. The information covered several radon-related topics, including: radon awareness, detection, and mitigation; options for procurement of radon detectors; best practices for detector use; interpretation of results; and, promotion of smoking cessation.  Information on potential funding avenues for training and remediation activities was provided, as well.

During the evaluation of this program, the team found attendance at the webinar had been low and no acknowledgement of mailings or emails was received. The report concluded in-person engagement with First Nations would be of additional benefit in raising radon awareness and sharing information about detection and mitigation.