Lung Saskatchewan is urging the Government of Saskatchewan to direct partial funds from the Tobacco Settlement to go towards a comprehensive tobacco and vaping reduction strategy that includes prevention, education, enforcement, and support of current patients. While provincial governments may see this as a revenue windfall, and an opportunity to reduce dept, these funds come with great burden and responsibility from decades of harm and drain on the health care system, caused by the tobacco industry.  

Commercial tobacco continues to be the number one cause of preventable disease and death, killing almost eight million people in the world including 46,000 people in Canada every year. In Saskatchewan, that's 1,500 deaths per year, which is 18% of all yearly deaths. Lung Saskatchewan and Youth4Change continue to work with the government to implement measures to protect Saskatchewan children, youth, and adults from nicotine addiction. The following policy recommendations are evidence-based, best practice approaches which can be implemented through regulation, prevention, education, and cessation. In addition to protecting and optimizing the health of Saskatchewan residents, these measures also focus on reducing impacts on the economy and our healthcare system with recommendations on how to hold the tobacco industry accountable.

Radon is a radioactive gas that is created naturally as a byproduct of uranium breaking down in the ground. Radon is invisible, and it has no odour or taste. Every home has some level of radon, and the only way to know how much radon is in a home is to conduct a long-term radon test. Recent studies show that ONE in THREE homes in Saskatchewan have high levels of radon. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer. Lung Saskatchewan is advocating at the provincial level to improve awareness, testing, and mitigation of homes.

Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking and accounts for 16% of all lung cancer deaths in Canada. Radon is a contributing factor in the deaths of approximately 3,360 Canadians each year, which is more than 1 in every 100 deaths in the country. While 10.3 million homes in Canada (17.8% of all homes) have radon levels above Health Canada's radon guideline of 200 Bq/m, less than 10% of Canadians have tested their homes for radon. Furthermore, only 56% of Canadians have ever heard of radon gas. These statistics highlight the urgent need for increased public awareness and education campaigns in Canada on radon.

Over the past decade, we have seen an increase in vaping product use especially among youth and young adults. Youth4Change is working to make sure that youth understand the health risks of vaping and are advocating to the government to regulate vaping more closely. We are working hard to make changes to Protect all Saskatchewan Kids.