TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR PARTICIPATION IN THIS RESEARCH:
The PURPOSE of this study is to understand how domestic property indoor air radon levels relate to certain environmental design features, so that Evict Radon researchers can better understand and work towards developing solutions to Canada’s radon problem. This is a citizen scientist project, and we are looking for Canadians who are willing to purchase a radon test device to test their homes. This research is administratively based at the University of Calgary, but the research team represents a confederation of scholars from across Canada, led by Dr. Aaron Goodarzi who is the federal Canada Research Chair for Radiation Exposure Disease. More information about our researchers may be found at www.evictradon.org/about.
At this time, this study is open to anyone in the Province of Alberta.
If you are interested, WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO is obtain a long term (90+ day) radon test kit from our certified radon testing partner (via a link to a secure webstore that will be provided if you consent to join this study), deploy this test in your home, register the device and let us know about a few metrics of the home you are testing (via an online survey that is accessed via the secure test kit registration website). We wish you to know that, if not interested in this study, radon test kits are still widely available for sale online and in retail outlets, and we do not endorse any specific commercial entity.
It is important to note that, as a BENEFIT OF BEING PART OF A UNIVERSITY STUDY, we conduct a large number of controls (duplicates, blanks and controlled positives) to ensure all ‘Citizen Scientists’ obtain the most accurate readings possible. Your data will also help protect us all from radon in the future.
WHAT YOU WILL RECEIVE: Your Evict Radon test kit (for a single cost of CAD$60.00) includes shipping to your Albertan home, a long term alpha track tester device, instructions, a pre-paid shipping label to the independent radon test device processing lab and that lab’s fee. You should place your radon test in your home for a minimum of 90 days somewhere between October to the end of April. If purchasing multiple radon tests for different properties, please register each separately and fill out a different survey for each. Once your test is complete, you must enter the end date via the registration portal and return the test device by mail using the pre-paid shipping label, as per the instructions you’ll find in the box. Within a few weeks, your homes radon test results will be returned to you directly, with your de-identified data being used by University researchers. It is up to you whether or not to act upon your test results. Please know, however, there are very effective and quick solutions to high radon exposure.
If you chose to participate in the Evict Radon study, then PLEASE BE ASSURED that all information entered in the following survey will be kept 100% confidential and stored in secured servers in Canada, subject to Canadian privacy laws. Your data will never be shared with any third party and, once linked to your homes radon reading, will be de-identified so that you can never be personally traced within the data. Your specific home address will never be published in any format, and specific homes and neighbourhoods are never linked to given radon readings. We take exceptional measures to ensure your privacy is maintained throughout this process. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this consent information or, if at any point you wish to withdraw from our study, please us at contact [email protected]
IMPORTANT: Radon testing in Canada must be managed by C-NRPP (Canadian National Radon Proficiency Program) certified professionals. For this research study, the University of Calgary Evict Radon research team has contracted an Alberta-based C-NRPP certified radon testing company called RadonWest. Test devices are manufactured and analyzed by Radonova, which is headquartered in Sweden. Researchers (Aaron Goodarzi, PhD; Dustin Pearson, MSc; John Danforth, MSc; Jesse Irvine, BSc) have absolutely NO financial relationship with RadonWest, Radonova nor with any other radon testing or mitigation retail or industrial entity.
You also agree that you are 18 or over, and have permission from the occupants to radon test this property. You agree to provide Evict Radon researchers in Dr. Aaron Goodarzi’s laboratory at the University of Calgary (Aaron Goodarzi, PhD; Dustin Pearson, MSc; John Danforth, MSc; Jesse Irvine, BSc) with the information in the home metric survey you just completed. You also agree that your subsequent home radon level reading will be linked to these home metrics, and that only for the purposes of support, follow-up and further information about this research study that we may contact you using the email addresses provided here. Once again, please be assured that your information will remain completely confidential and, in turn, is helping Canadian researchers understand and develop solutions to our radon problem.
A list of answers to Frequently Asked Questions may also be found at www.evictradon.ca/FAQ and you can always email us at [email protected]. If at any point you wish to withdraw from our study, or have any concerns about the nature of this research study, please us at contact [email protected].
If you have any questions concerning your rights as a possible participant in this research, please contact the Chair of the Conjoint Health Research Ethics Board, Research Services, University of Calgary. The University of Calgary Conjoint Health Research Ethics Board has approved this research study. Study Ethics ID = REB17-2239
