Radon is an odourless gas that seeps from the ground into homes to varying degrees in all traditional single-family residential dwellings in Canada. If the concentration of radon gas is high enough, for long enough, you and your family are at risk of developing lung cancer. It’s a serious situation as Health Canada states that 3,000 deaths a year in Canada are attributable to radon gas exposure. So that’s the bad news out of the way.
On the brighter side your home’s Radon level is something you can measure and take steps to reduce to safe levels. Testing for radon is simple and you can find do-it-yourself kits that are about $50. Even if you have high levels of radon in your home, they are usually straight forward to take action to reduce. Of course you can’t do anything about a problem unless you understand what you’re dealing with.
Awareness of the radon gas exposure issue is growing in Canada. I was fortunate to be able to arrange an interview with Kelley Bush. Kelley is the Head of Radon Education and Awareness for Health Canada and provided a great deal of useful information for you. Thank you Kelley. Homexam has published the interview as a video with transcript available.
The 15 minute video is a good introduction to radon and explains:
- what radon is,
- why you should pay attention,
- where higher concentrations have been found in Canada
- how to find out if your home has a problem
- why you need to test even if your neighbour’s radon levels are ok
- long-term sampling versus short-term
- what you can do to reduce your risk
- roughly how much it costs if you need professional help
- and where to find certified radon professionals
Additional Resources
- Health Canada’s Radon Site
- Canadian-National Radon Proficiency Program
- CBC’s Interactive map of radon test results by street address or postal code
Author: Rob Cornish is a Home Inspector in Ottawa, Canada. © 2014 HomeXam Inc.
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